What Happens Next
by Preydator
Summary: A nightmare brings Raven to the common room in the middle of the night to think. Robin finds his way there for the same reasons. They have been team mates for years but after Trigon's defeat, they've grown closer than ever. When Raven feels a dark influence once more, what can be done? Maybe it's time she didn't rely only on herself anymore. Rated M for Violence/unsettling images
1. Chapter 1

**Updated** : 11/24/2017

As this is a brand new process for me, I am adding proper heading and correcting spelling and other errors as I go as to provide a smooth read. I have also included a sort of prelude, this time around, to look further into one of the main characters. Also, included, are a couple more sentences in the note at the end. The cover image is not mine! It was drawn by Neptune47 on deviantart. The silhouette is gorgeous. I did not get permission to use it so if I need to take it down, I will. For now I think it is a perfect image to cover this story.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own any aspect of Teen Titans and am by no means receiving any sort of compensation for this. It is purely my interest in the fandom that is driving this.

 **\\{XXXXX}/**

The dark is balance.

Some would say that the absence of light indicated evil, allowing menacing and terrorizing forces to scuttle just out of sight before they finally came for you, maws agape to devour you. These beings knew the dark as fear. Others would say that the dark made it impossible to see, harder to know what was right in front of you. Wasn't that the same thing?

'Not entirely', the thought came.

These people knew the absence of light as a hinderance to their development, it keeping the possibility of advancement from them. They would ask, "How am I to continue if my way is not lit?" This question was common and understandable if only in a certain light.

There was an inward chuckle at the irony of that thought.

At the same time, these people had a point. How do you continue? This is where they began to lose their comprehension.

If one relied only on their sight, would it not eventually lead them astray? One day, wouldn't they see something that looked like home but was not? Maybe they saw something that their shipwrecked minds , in the moment, deemed more worthy of their efforts than what they already belonged to? This could lead the common man and woman away from his or her family. What a shame that eventuality would be. But, what if they had used their other senses? Would not the unfamiliar and putrid scent of decay turn a man's eye away from the harlot? Wouldn't the stench of jealousy and perversion on a promiscuous man's breath steer a woman back to her loving husband?

Relying only on sight was a dangerous mistake. Relying simply on scent, touch, taste, or sound didn't work either. When they were together it did give someone a sturdy foothold on the pitted surface of their lives but that was not what would lead you back home. These people were likely destined to fail and that was ok. How would anyone learn without first seeing the adverse effects that their blindness brought upon them? The key is knowing why those senses tell you what they do.

There were even others that saw the dark as an entity designed to devour them and carry them down to the place they so desired. That place was the end. There was nothing there. Nothing other than eternal torment.

She had been there.

These people are not like the first because they desire to be there. These hated any council the light could offer... what any of their senses offered. They loved pain, fear, and sadness, feeding on depravity. Sometimes, most times, it was hard to take pity on these beings for they had no idea what they were inviting into their lives yet they drank it in, gulping it down to the point of drowning. Bathing in it but they never stopped. All while a twisted smile was plastered to their face, contorting and destroying any beauty the expression used to offer. These people were broken husks.

In truth, she had been like the first of these groups of people for a long while but she hardly ever conceded to the fact she gave her "Fear" emotion the time of day. She was not afraid of the dark itself. She was afraid of the darkness. That impersonal, malevolent shadow that grazed its gnarled claws across her skin as it passed only to have it turn back to envelope her, its four scarlet eyes burning like the deep belly of a blazing furnace. When it came, she had struck out at it, attempting to push it away only to have her hand protrude through its incorporeal form. Physical force never worked.

In the months since her father, Trigon's, defeat and apparent death, she had begun to distance herself from that darkness. She still felt the tendrils of discord in her mind that he had planted but to a much lesser degree as time passed. She very rarely saw the shadow any longer but somehow knew it was lurking in the far reaches of her mind, waiting for the call to return. It wouldn't if she had any say in it. Recently she began to believe she did, in fact, have a say in it if only for the encouragement of her friends.

The other Titans believed Trigon to be dead but she knew better. Despite that, who was she to rain on their parade? It would hopefully be millenia before he would return because without a doubt, return he would.

But for now she could breath easy. As easy as she ever could knowing what she was.

But that was the point, wasn't it? That's what they all kept telling her. That isn't who she was. She inwardly trusted them and appreciated the words they spoke more than they could ever realise but she also knew what she was even if they believed she had conquered it. Even now the undeniable truth of what she was tried its best to sink its fangs into the surety of her friend's claim. Whatever the demon in her did to destroy her hope, it wouldn't ever be enough. She didn't know where her hope was imbedded but the simple fact that it existed was uncontested. A part of it was in her but another was somewhere else... Where? She did not know for sure.

She'd learned on Azarath that the dark and the darkness were two separate entities. One was the absence of physical light which gave the eye nowhere to focus while the other was the spiritual manifestation of fear and obscurity that sought to drag you to the brink and pull you over the edge, filled with glee at even its own demise. Simple. She had never allowed the shadows in the darkness to intrude in her times of quiet reflection but they did, at times, crack the mental barriers she had constructed.

If the Azarathian elders had taught her one thing she would not forget, though, it was this. The dark, in the right context, was an absence of distraction. It is a place where one can feel, experience, and even dissect their very selves; the essence of who they were. It was a place where one could be, unobstructed, in the quest to discover why a certain emotion was apparent following a thought or experience. It was the place to decide how to move forward without distractions. That is what most beings did not understand about the dark. Unlike most, She, however, knew the truth. It was one of the most beautiful yet heartbreaking places she had ever allowed herself to go. It was the canvas of her being. Everything was lain bare to her while no one else had the ability to see it, just how she liked it.

She had always taught to deal with her emotions quickly and efficiently so as to not agitate the power tangled within her. She had believed that alone worked for a long while. It might have worked more than she gave it credit for but that didn't change the fact that the emotions always returned carrying the baggage that was attached to it.

It all came down to how it was managed. Understanding that was the hardest part.

The dark should be balance.

But how long can that last...

XXXXX

She heard it long before it entered the common room. The shuffling of padded feet that sounded like they were too weary to even attempt proper strides. Without knowing for certain who was making the sound, but having a pretty good idea, she waited for the offending being to pass through the threshold into the room. It shouldn't have but it somewhat surprised her when Robin dragged himself into the room, his hand patting the wall near the light switch. He seemed to remember after a few groggy seconds that Cyborg had installed a new all-inclusive building management system that did away with the switch in favor of a panel that required an access code. He had reasoned that anyone who needed to use it would know how to use it. They'd experienced too many break-ins in the past and part of the overhaul was the ousting of the old and in with the new fangled tech junk that he constantly fawned over.

Robin grunted and mumbled curses under his breath before smacking the wall with his fist in frustration. He was visibly more awake now but that didn't stop his hunched posture and a yawn from stretching his lips. His hand resumed its search forward, trying to use the emergency lighting to make his way over to the couch where she sat, watching intently. Once he located his target, he fell back into it, eliciting a sigh of relaxation. He seemed to be oblivious to the person sitting practically next to him. Of course, it was somewhat easier for her to see him. She'd been there for quite some time.

"Boo." She said in her typically monotonous tone. Robin's head jerked up towards her, quickly followed by his hands and a yelp of surprise. In his haste to distance himself from the "scary monster" in the dark, he fell over the back of the couch, all the while squealing, "Whoa whoa!". He landed on his back with a resounding thud before issuing an, "Ooof..." and scrambled back to his feet, finally in a battle ready stance. Having gotten the desired reaction, she grabbed the remote in front of her to turn on the lights but made sure to keep them low as to not be a shock on his eyes. The trepidation on his face was quickly replaced by familiarity as the room lit up around him. His brows raised in surprise at the girl in front of him. His surprise was replaced by a half grin before he started nervously rubbing the back of his head and neck. He didn't look like he had expected her in the slightest. Just how she liked it. Unfortunately, he had "found" her anyway.

"Raven...fancy meeting you here." Robin trailed off, still nervously giggling at his reaction. He looked quite embarrassed. She couldn't see it behind the mask he wore but Raven knew he was avoiding eye contact with her in his chagrin.

"I suppose." She answered simply. She turned her gaze back in front of her, leaving Robin to stare for a moment before he made his way slowly back around the couch to sit a little farther from her this time now that he was aware of her. Raven surprising herself by turning her body towards him while trying to still seem somewhat disinterested before continuing. "I do live here, you know." She was never one to say more than was absolutely necessary so why did she feel the need to keep talking to him? Despite the tickle of humor, she felt a pang in her chest. Did she actually feel bad for scaring him? It was pretty funny though.

Robin nodded with his lips pursed, them quickly turning again to his previous grin that had now widened. "Ya, I suppose you do." He agreed uselessly to the fact. It didn't take long for the fright she had given him to wear off completely and leave only the curiosity that took its place. After a few moments of silence, both of them simply looking at each other, Raven returned her gaze and body forward, trying to find anything to occupy her errant eyes that continually wandered to the Boy Wonder. She shook off the familiar urge to respond to him, reminding herself that she no longer owed him any further comment. When did that become familiar?

"I'm just surprised to see you is all." He said suddenly, testing the waters while doing his best to appear relaxed. Raven simply shrugged as if she didn't require him to explain himself. "So..." Robin continued, settling his hands on his thighs, "can't sleep?" He laid his head comfortably on the back of the couch, visibly settling in with a deep exhale.

Raven didn't respond for several moments. "Yes." She finally answered in a voice almost a whisper. She readjusted herself and folded her legs under her in an effort to warm her cooling bare feet.

"Me neither." Robin informed with a sigh through his nose, all previous mirth lost in his expression.

Her empathetic abilities picked up on his fleeting emotions before she could consciously clamp down on the passive, yet intrusive, action. He was the Titan's steadfast leader. He was the one that provided them with guidance and direction and was the ever present friend they all needed. Even to her, the self-imposed pariah of the group. Then why did she sense unrest in him? There was... fear. Regret even. Raven's eyes darted around her field of vision as she contemplated what could possibly make him feel that way. Before long, she clamped down on the rogue thought process. It was none of her business what was going on in his head. If he wanted to bring it up, he would. It wasn't worth getting wrapped up in especially considering where her own mind had just been before he entered.

She must have visually shifted as she made this decision because Robin shook his head from his apparent engrossment in his own thoughts. His now perfectly calm, shielded gaze came to lay on her profile. Still, she did not turn to him. Robin chewed on the inside of his cheek, like he was trying to decide what to say. He actually examined her for the first time since he entered.

"You're umm..." Robin pointed before crossing one arm across his chest and chewing on the fingernail of the free hand. His mouth opened and he sputtered like he didn't know what to say as he pointed at her again. "I never thought that you would, uh.." Raven turned her head deliberately to stare at him with a raised eyebrow, willing him to get on with it.

"Spit it out, Bird Brain." Raven said warningly, though her face remained neutral. She crossed her arms low across her stomach before twisting to rest her shoulder against the back of the couch and fix him with her icy glare. Robin responded by snatching back his extended arm before it came back with considerably less fingers. She never used that nickname unless she was decidedly displeased.

"I thought that you always wore your uniform," Robin began with some concern for his personal safety, fiddling with the material of his shirt, "all the time." he finished, clearing his throat. It dawned on Raven and she looked down at herself, finally remembering that she was wearing short dark blue pajama shorts and a white, blue hemmed t-shirt that said "Pillow Fight Tonight" on it. She crossed her arms higher to cover the text and groaned at her oversight. She turned her head when she felt her cheeks blush. She hoped that she appeared angry enough to deter any potential teasing from him but that was unlikely.

"Got a problem with it?" She challenged. 'Can't even leave my room without being careful now.' She thought to herself bitterly.

"Not at all. I think it looks..." he trailed off like he was trying to consider his words carefully,"comfortable." He wasn't about to tell her he thought she looked good in it so he lifted his focus to her face in an effort to not get distracted. Besides, it made him inexplicably happy to see her actually showing comfort. Raven didn't much buy his explanation but without anything to compare it to, she jettisoned her self conscious uncertainty.

'When did I start to care what he thinks?' She thought pensively. Yeah, she valued that they were friends, maybe even best friends, but not about such trivial things. Raven tried to ignore that thought but the emotion still stuck and it wouldn't stop pestering her. She felt unusually forthcoming and couldn't find any reason to stop from explaining herself.

"I used to wear my uniform to sleep every night so it took less time to respond to the alarm but, Azar, did it get hot. Can you imagine sleeping in a cloak?" She asked the young man ,who she noticed was raptly invested in listening to her, when she turned back towards him. She mentally facepalmed at the question. Of course he knew what it was like. He was the only other Titan who wore a similar article. Maybe it would be better to cut her losses and go to bed if her inhibited mind was going to be this stupid.

Robin couldn't believe that Raven had offered any sort of reasoning for what she was wearing so it took him a moment to realise she had asked him a question. He saw her roll her eyes and look down at her lap with a frown, her hands tucked between her thighs. As he caught up with the conversation, he realised why.

"Yeah, I think I know a thing or two about that." Robin answered in a jovial tone with an amused smile that seemed too large for the occasion. He pointed over to the massive window they were both facing, that overlooked Jump City, where a fan made poster of the team was taped to the glass at an odd angle. That must have meant that Beast Boy put it up. Robin's figure stood at the forefront of the work with his arms crossed and a face that promised pain, his cape blowing off frame where Raven floated above it, her own cloak flowing openly behind her. The other three Titans were in similarly imposing stances behind the two of them. Raven huffed at the friendly jab that was no more desirable even if it was friendly.

"You know," Robin began with a finger on his chin, "you could have just taken the cloak off and stayed in the leotard." He tilted his head with a considerate expression. Without looking, Raven expertly punched his arm while trying to hide a blush of embarrassment at her lack of consideration of that fact. Robin winced and rubbed at his new injury and at the unexpected force behind the punch. Even still, he didn't care. He smiled and gently shoved at her shoulder in a teasing manner.

After a moment when no other jokes came, Raven chanced a glance at him, hardly willing to believe the teasing was already over.

She didn't need her power to see that he was genuinely contented and comfortable with being around her. He usually didn't act this way. He had to be suffering from lack of sleep so she tried to let it go. True, they had shared a few moments here and there since the mind meld but it wasn't a regular thing. Maybe that's all this was. A chance interaction. With an almost imperceptible huff, she resigned herself to dropping the thought. None of that stopped her involuntary relaxation at the sight of his satisfaction. Robin noticed her loosen as well, inwardly pleased that she didn't see fit to remove one his limbs at his teasing. It didn't take long for her to go on the offensive.

"You're one to talk." Raven scoffed suddenly, lazily gesturing to his own attire. "Wearing your own knock-off clothing line? Really?" Robin looked down to his black sweat pants with the large "R" off center of the thigh and the dark green and yellow pallet swab of a t-shirt with the letter on the wrong side of the chest.

"Hey, one of our fans gave these to me!" He defended with feigned offense. "I couldn't, in good conscience, get rid of it." He looked down at it and picked at the somewhat properly sewn hem. "Besides, it's comfortable." Raven wasn't buying the explanation even if it was good enough for him.

"Whatever." She relented.

Everything was usually so black and white to Raven that what she said often sounded confrontational but Robin knew otherwise. She had no intention of truly insulting him in any way that mattered. It was her clear and unabridged opinion and in some ways, she was right. He did own quite a bit with green, yellow, and red coloring and that "R" on even his street clothing. Maybe he could do with a little more variety. He did have one thing up his sleeve though.

"What makes you think this stands for Robin?" he asked with his head cocked to the side, pinching the letter on his leg and lifting it for emphasis.

Raven raised one eyebrow in incredulity. She could sense a mild trap in his words so she chose to simply stare with suspicion. When it was clear he had no intention of continuing, she lowered her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, realising that if she wanted to keep talking to him then she would have to answer. The possibility of simply standing and walking back to her room without a word didn't go unconsidered. With a mental huff that she even cared to continue to humor him, she lifted her head back up, tucking her shoulder length hair back behind her ear in the process.

The motion was not lost on Robin's patient consideration.

'She looks so cute when she does that.'

His brow furrowed automatically when the thought caught him off guard. He had always known her to be one of the most beautiful young women he had ever met, he had eyes after all, but this thought extended past a friendly appreciation. Robin shoved it to the back of his mind for further consideration later. Clearing the confusion from his face, he relaxed his brow and refocused. His chin was now resting on his closed fist that was propped up in his lap.

"Ok, I'll bite. I thought it stood for Robin since that's what they all mean. Now, I believe, you're going to tell me how I'm wrong." Raven said, the monotony ever-present in her tone, her eyes doing a good job at looking disinterested.

"Did you notice that they're black?" He questioned, pulling at the comfortable fabric on his thighs.

"Yes..."

"Black with an "R"?" Robin asked, hoping she would get it.

"Yes they are black and that, in fact, is an "R"." She retorted, with a slow nod. Robin adopted a look of weariness at having to spell it out to her. He didn't know what else to do besides just tell her at this point.

"It stands for Raven. Your uniform is black so it stands to reason." He said with a shrug, not getting the desired reaction from her.

Raven glanced down at the sweats before shrugging. "How am I supposed to glean that from the fact they're black? My clothing is obviously extremely deep blue with a royal blue cloak." She stated matter of factly as if he should have known that from the beginning. She couldn't help but grin. Of course, her version of a grin was more in her eyes. It was in the way that they softened just enough that if you knew her as well as he did, you could see the humor in it. Even so, this time one corner of her mouth did upturn ever so slightly. The whimsical grin was so captivating that he barely managed to keep from staring. He settled for a sideways grin of his own.

"What?" Robin asked.

Raven blinked a few times, the grin no longer there but her eyes still telling him she was quite comfortable in the moment. In a rare gesture, she held his eyes. "Boys and their colors." She joked simply, her tone carrying the slightest bit of playfulness. That was enough for him to giggle uncontrollably for a moment. Raven didn't know why he found it as funny as he did. Even knowing he was laughing with her, she still brought back down her mental barriers. They were not locked but they were solid, keeping her safe. He caused too many emotions to well up especially this late at night. It frustrated her that she didn't know why.

Robin chuckled for a second more before he noticed the miniscule change in her expression when she turned back towards the window. Raven's eyes looked glazed over, blinking slowly every so often. She looked like she was staring at nothing and everything at once, like she had disconnected from her body entirely. He'd been around long enough to know that he was running the risk of having her lock him out. He couldn't quite place why he especially didn't want that to happen this time. To that end, he decided it was best to simply sit silently. He did, however, now realise just how far he had sat down from her. After a debate, he knew was pointless because he was going to do it anyway, he scooted closer to her, leaving a respectful space between them before adopting his previous stance. A companionable silence fell between them, unburdened by useless small talk. Now that he was closer her could hear soft music coming from her pocket.

Raven noticed how Robin grew quiet and hoped that he would remain that way. She needed time to regain her composure especially after the limited sleep she had also received and the rattling he caused. Tonight, she was more willing to share her thoughts with him than ever before and that fact bothered her. 'It's not a bad thing..' a part of her reasoned. 'He certainly deserves it after... well, everything.' Another part chimed in. Had he not been the one to bring her back from the brink? She swallowed absently. Damn these traitorous emotions. Didn't they know she didn't have the luxury of allowing her emotions to run amuck? After some effort, she managed to calm them and began to find her center.

Robin could see that she was concentrating, her eyes clamped shut and face taut. Although, after sitting in silence for a couple of minutes, he began to grow antsy. "Raven?" He whispered as softly as he could. Her reaction was instant, eyes shooting open.

"Yes?" Raven asked in her usual tone.

"What song are you listening to? It's pretty good." Robin asking conversationally. He hoped she didn't shut him out again. Maybe he had been too quick.

Raven was taken aback by his question. The soft music was playing so quietly in the background that it had melded with her consciousness, aiding in her meditative state. Despite her nagging desire to tell him what it was, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was too careful to keep things she loved close to her, lest someone ruin it. At her mental prod, the music player ceased to play.

When she didn't respond to him, Robin was willing to let it go. If she didn't want to tell him, that was ok. In the situation they were in now, every word she said to him was unusual and he found himself liking it. It wasn't like they hadn't had a conversation before but right now it seemed like everything was more honest. More genuine. It was a look into her life that she held so close to her chest, even from her friends. That's why it baffled him all the more when her voice, almost a whisper, rose between them.

"I'll tell you sometime, but not now." Raven knew he would understand, there was little doubt of that. He was like a big brother in a lot of the ways he treated herself and Starfire. He was probably just curious as a way to keep the conversation moving.

"Promise?"

Raven couldn't hide her surprise. She knew she had just been thinking of him like a sibling, with a child-like connotation, but that was uncanny. "Why does it matter to you?" She inquired, suspicion in her tone as she turned her lavender eyes to his white mask. A lock of deep violet hair fell past her ear.

Robin didn't miss a beat. "Because it means something to you. You wouldn't be listening if it didn't." Raven could see through his thinly veiled non-answer answer.

"You are right. That does not tell me why you want to know about it." She pointed out while keeping a watchful eye over the ever-lit Jump city just as something to focus on.

Now it was Robin's turn to not answer. Raven couldn't help but be caught unprepared for that. He was usually one to keep a conversation moving once he committed to it, something that irked her from time to time. Even still, if he didn't answer, didn't that save her the effort of eventually explaining it? She would have thought that would give her a measure of peace but it only left her curious. With conscious effort, she pushed it from her mind. Whatever happened, happened.

Robin did not have any answer prepared for that eventuality. She had an uncanny knack for getting to the heart of the question before even he did, as the one posing it. There was no way he could answer that question without tipping her off to what his true intentions were. The more and more he considered his intentions, the more he began to realise.

He was more curious than ever about her. A young woman that he had known for years already yet this woman in front of him was not the one he met back then...

There was so much of her he hadn't the foggiest notion about. Even after she had entered his mind, when Slade was haunting him, when their bond had initially formed, he was left reeling with how similar they actually were. He knew facets of her no one else ever would. Even so, they were different in just as many ways. She could have hijacked his consciousness and taken him for a ride but she hadn't. Feeling her essence caress his spirit was an experience that, had it been any other time, would have left him elated. In times of quiet afterwards, he caught himself wondering how such a touch could come from a power that the Elders of Azarath viewed as evil. He'd never been so close to anyone before that day. Their compounding experience in the face of Trigon's oppression had only served to bring them to a deeper appreciation of each other.

Robin blinked rapidly to clear the memory, if only to keep his mind on track. Suddenly, he felt like it didn't matter if she became aware of his intention. Maybe he would get lucky and, for now, she wouldn't suspect him. Or maybe... she was feeling the same thing. He hadn't seen her look so thoughtful in so long.

Folding his hands in his lap, he leaned back and crossed one leg over the other in an effort to look more collected. He spoke with surety, more than he thought he felt. "For as long as I've known you, I thought our minds have never been in the same place. It was like yours was always a million miles away."

Raven was shocked at his sudden confession and its contents, as evidenced by the confusion that spread on her face. Suddenly unsure of what to do with her hands, she rubbed gently at her arms that had remained folded. Robin continued.

"After you helped me remove Slade from my mind," he began, Raven nodding in remembrance, "and you defeated Trigon..." He stopped when she cut him off.

"When you helped me defeat him..." She reminded, self-consciously dipping her eyes as if she could hide them from him.

Robin smiled in pleasant appreciation. "You defeated him, Rae. Maybe I helped but it was always going to be you." Her gentle expression spoke loud enough for him to hear her without even uttering a word.

'We did it.'

He was touched.

Raven had actually slipped into his mind that first time where as when they had worked to defeat Trigon together, Robin had merely existed in the world her "father's" power had created. With every other human frozen in rock, save for the other Titans who were knocked out cold, it had only been the two of them.

"Both times allowed me to see your thoughts. It was like..." he trailed off, trying to come up with the right phrase as Raven waited patiently, "like we had the same mind. The same desires for the future of the world. Kindred spirits." He squinted in his search for a better descriptor. "We bonded as purely us. No lies or deception."

Now it was Raven's turn to be raptly awaiting his next words. It didn't even register to her how much it clashed with the facade she constantly wore.

"It was weird." Robin admitted. "I saw that your mind had never been far away. It was always right where mine was." His cheeks turned rosy with blush. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, rubbing at his face before noticing that Raven was nodding sagely while keeping her eyes respectfully on him. He had no idea exactly how much she agreed with what he had just said. They had always been similar in their intensity. They both believed with great conviction and fervency in what they did and they made sure it happened. This however, was something else. Raven leaned forward and laid her hand on his knee in reassurance. She pulled it back rather quickly when she realized what she was doing but she was assuaged by his grateful look.

"In that, I found common ground with you that was more than the desire to protect the city. When you hugged me, saying that you beat him because I had believed in you, I knew that our hearts were in the same place." Embarrassed by his transparent honesty, Robin turned his gaze out the same window Raven had before, the massive TV that usually sat there was retracted into the floor. He took a deep, shaky breath and clenched his fists to clear away the now unwelcome torrent of emotion. "I just thought that since the music meant something to you, then we could share that together. It's stupid. I'm sorry."

Raven was overcome with a feeling of such closeness to Robin, even if it didn't immediately show in her demeanor.

Different than a brother, then.

Seeing him turn his face to the window and his apparent discomfort, she lifted her empathetic shield just enough to get a glimpse of what he felt. Like a steady rain, gently, but no less constant, his care for and truthfulness to her was quite obvious but tainted by his disconcert at the flood of honesty he hadn't even been prepared for. She even heard some of his disjointed thoughts ring throughout her mind that were all a mix of embarrassment and care. He didn't have any reason to feel badly for it. When his aura continued to sour, she scooted over closer to him, laying her hands over his clamped fists and gave them a compassionate squeeze. "It's not stupid." was all she could say.

Robin relaxed his hands under hers. That's when he finally noticed she was sitting right next to him. The gesture told him all that he needed. She felt the same on some level but to what extent, he wasn't sure. Raven took back her hands with a genuine grin.

"It is good music. I'd be worried if you didn't want to hear it." Raven quipped. Robin's worry evaporated in an instant. "Just not tonight, ok? I'm not in a... good state of mind." She told him, hoping he would understand. She wasn't disappointed. He had an almost disconcerting ability to see the meaning of what she said no matter what it was.

"Deal." Robin said softly.

The both of them silently watched the flashing spot light of a helicopter dart across the cityscape. It had been a quiet few days for the Titans, crime wise, but this must have been something below their pay grade. Like they got paid at all. Either way, it was a necessary reprieve. The both of them fell, again, into a comfortable silence, not needing to say a word. As time passed, both of them would yawn periodically, reminding them that they were sitting awake in the middle of the night when any sane person would be getting rest. After several more minutes, they still didn't care.

"Bad dream?" Robin asked, unexpectedly.

"What?" Raven asked, marginally returning to the present.

"Did you have a bad dream? Is that why you can't sleep?" Robin asked in clarification, scratching his forehead absently.

Raven had actually forgotten why she couldn't sleep in the peaceful minutes since his candor. She had no idea what to do with the admission yet but that was a problem for another day.

"Yes." She said simply after a moment of troubling recollection. She rubbed at her eyes with her fingertips. "You?"

"Yep."

Both of them fell quiet for a moment once more. Robin was the first to break it.

"I bet mine was worse." He challenged playfully with a half grin that turned into a grimace at the distastefulness of the joke. Raven giggled at his attempt of lightening the mood before adopting a similar expression.

"I doubt it." Raven responded, deadpanned, losing any humor in her features.

Robin tapped his finger on his chin in thought. He really didn't know what to say anymore. "If you want to talk about it, you can talk to me." He told her, bumping her shoulder with his in jest. If she wanted to talk about it, he was there. There was no reason to put her on the spot.

Raven wasn't certain what to do with that. She unconsciously leaned away from the tap, blinking away the confusion. It was obvious that he only wanted to extend his support which only made sense because he had the inside scoop of what made her tick. It was more than that, though. She couldn't point out specifically what it was or what it could have been, as her mind didn't want to relent to it so soon, but she couldn't deny the warmth that spread through her chest and cheeks. Not a blush. Just enough to inform her that it did, in fact, mean something to her. Although, that fact didn't hasten her to respond to him. Robin seemed to quickly catch onto her inner examination.

"You know that, right?" He reinforced in a hushed tone as to not irritate her with his persistence. He had to stifle an unexpected yawn that squeezed an awkward strained guttural sound from his throat, much to his disappointment. Things were going well enough and it had to be interrupted by bodily noises. 'It could definitely have been much worse.' He tried to comfort himself, to no avail.

An involuntary smirk stretched over Raven's lips before she could even think about intercepting it. It turned into a full fledged chuckle when Robin looked at his own hands in semi-feigned disgust. His features screamed, 'Body, why would you betray me?!' Before long, Robin joined in on the chuckle. He couldn't possibly not when she started. It was one of the sweetest sounds he'd ever heard, even if it seemed unused.

Raven dipped her head, trying to muzzle her outburst with her hands. The reclusive part of her mind was insulted and disgusted by the jubilation that set over her but just for now, that part could get lost. In a moment of impulse, she gestured at the blanket sitting to her right, it becoming enveloped in black energy. She slipped it over the back of the couch, foregoing the physical gesture of direction when it got closer to him, and brought it behind Robin before dropping it down over his head, covering him completely. He let out a wail of surprise but it was clean of any actual worry. Seeing that he was escaping from it too quickly for her liking, Raven threw herself towards him, grabbing the edges of the blanket and pinning them behind him.

"Raven! Et Tu, Brute?" Robin cried in protest, enjoying every moment of the sneak attack. He could have escaped quickly if he wanted to but the escape was made infinitely more difficult when he had felt her crash against him, pinning the blanket around him. That had him stunned for a moment but it was replaced by a quite insistent urge to escape his captivity. In a reigned burst of agility, he thrust his arm around the blanket's edge and wrapped his hand around Raven's shoulder, trying to push her off of him. Needless to say, a large part of him liked her exactly where she was. With a sigh of grudging relent, Raven moved her weight off of him and dragged the blanket with her, laughter dying away. Robin blinked behind his mask to readjust his vision. He could see from her expression that she was already beginning to question her actions and chose to relent as well, settling for a deep breath and a hand through his mussed hair.

This was an interesting development for Raven. Robin had pierced through her emotional veil with such ease that it might as well have not been there in the first place. Was there any obstacle he couldn't overcome? Something struck her all at once, coming out of nowhere. She had allowed herself to give in to her emotion for a moment and nothing had exploded, vaporized, or in any other way become damaged, mentally checking off the list. Now she had more questions than she ever had to begin with. This was too much. To his credit, understanding of her reservation flashed across his face.

'So much for quiet meditation..'

Robin wasn't exactly certain why she was uncomfortable again. Hadn't they just been having some friendly fun? Whatever was weighing her down now, it was likely the last time he would get through to her tonight. It was already more progress than he had made breaking through to her in any number of months. It was probably better to quit while he was ahead. As if in answer to his unspoken decision, Raven stood up and tossed the blanket over the back of the couch before moving off in the direction of her room. The soft contact of her bare feet on the hard floor was all that could be heard in the common room. Robin didn't look initially before he spoke. "Raven?" When the gentle sound stopped, he turned around to look at her. "You do know you can talk to me, don't you?" He knew he was pressing his luck by asking again but he had to. He was all too serious.

Raven had turned halfway around, her composure now fully regained. She hadn't forgotten what he said. She held his gaze as a grin crept onto her lips before she turned back around, resuming the trip to her room, almost gliding over the floor. Maybe she was. She sighed at the implication of it all. She both dreaded and hoped for more nights such as this with him. Maybe she could manage to get in some actual meditation and grab even a little bit of sleep tonight. That being said, she didn't regret a second of... whatever that was even if it confused the ever living daylights out of her.

When she smiled and turned away, Robin knew he had his answer. She didn't have to say anything. He smiled after her and when she disappeared around the corner to the stairwell, he turned and took a close look at the black sky. It was all too weird. Both of them were obviously worn from the life they lead and the nights they'd had but even so, both of them were now at some sort of peace since Trigon's defeat. He resigned himself to the fact that life was the greatest challenge to face in existence. It wasn't something that anyone could conquer or beat but the journey was made worth it by the ones at your side.

'Why did that happen?' Robin ruminated. Enough for tonight. He was sure that time would bring some sort of understanding. It always did. If there was one thing he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, it was time to find some sort of real peace that extended beyond simple enjoyment. A foundation bigger than the constant shift of crime fighting to attach himself to would be nice. He had no intention of forcing whatever eventuality in life that would bring that about. It would happen when it did. Heck, he lived to fight crime. He even enjoyed it. That didn't mean that he couldn't try to create more for someone else.

Heavens knew Raven deserved it more so than he.

 **/{XXXXX}\**

Hey guys it's Preydator.

This is my first attempt at anything I'd be willing to post online and as such, I have probably made a few notable mistakes in the way of spelling and grammar. I by no means claim to be very good at this but I wanted to give it a shot and I'm excited about where this could go. On the topic of Teen Titans lore, I don't know everything about the lore as it has been years since I actually sat down to watch all the episodes. To that end, some of it may seem out of character and there may be a couple inconsistencies in the lore here and there. I just read that there is one more season after these events but for now, it's going to be like that hasn't taken place yet or will ever happen. I'm not sure which way to take this yet as I don't know if anyone is interested in it. As such, some of the characters may seem out of character but not in a way that will fundamentally change anything about them. None of it will be drastic. This chapter may seem jumbled in the perspective department but just for this one, I wanted to add both of theirs just to get a feel for what was going on in both of them. I might keep to it but I'll wait and see how it flows with you guys.

It should be noted that this is a labor of love for me. As such, I may not always want to work on this daily or have a weekly release. I refuse to release something that is disjointed and does more harm than good for the Robin/Raven pairing. Rest assured, however, that I will do my best to serve this fandom.

If anyone wants to point me in the right direction, I'd very much appreciate it. Being as I'm new to this, I would also grateful if any reviews were given in a constructive light and not flaming me for anything I got wrong. I am excited to be a part of this and have been inspired by many others as I have read their stories. I don't think there will be a long note at the end of every one but just this time I had to get this all out, lol. At any rate, I appreciate anyone who does give this a read and I hope to continue this either as a regular chapter story or as one shots that will eventually move towards a resolution. Weird, I know. We'll see. Thanks everyone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** : Nope, still don't own anything about Teen Titans

 **Updated** : 11/27/17 - Emergency update. The program I ran this through for spellcheck removed all my italics :/ I fixed a word or two here and there but other than that, it's all the same.

 **\\{XXXXX}/**

"Come on, dude! You can't tell me you don't wonder!" Beast Boy threw his hands over his head in exasperation.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe he just, I don't know, likes it that way?" Cyborg shot back with some irritation at BB. "What about yours?" He countered, raising his voice slightly. "You look like you haven't showered in weeks, man." Raven did the mental equivalent of rubbing her temples. They'd been through this too many times already in the past.

Beast Boy lowered his hands and waved his hand dismissively at Cyborg. He jabbed his finger in the air and opened his mouth as if he were going to inform Cyborg just where he could shove his accusations before Raven piped up.

"Well, he hasn't." She said in her usual tone, not looking up from her book that was suspended in her magic's signature black aura in front of her. The couch shifted slightly as BB leaned indignantly against the back with his arm, his other planted firmly on his hip. Now, folding her legs under herself, Raven turned to look at him but as he opened his mouth to offer a healthy retort, Cyborg caught a whiff of the changeling when his arm lifted to allow the offending smell loose. Cyborg's eyes screwed shut and he held out his arm as if that could keep the apparently horrifying stench away from him, bending away as best he could without walking off.

"Bro!" Beast Boy exclaimed, having taken notice, whirling on Cyborg. "What are you talking about? I swear I showered like..." he trailed off as he ticked off the days on his fingers. When he got past one hand he anxiously chuckled. "Uhh... maybe it's been a little longer than I thought."

"You are a disgusting creature." Raven said, unamused.

A quick witted smile took the place of the embarrassment on Beast Boy's face. "I'll take that as a compliment." He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, adopting a look of supposed victory. Since his "thing" was changing into animals, calling him a creature couldn't have been that bad, right?

"Whatever." Raven relented, still focusing on her book while nursing an herbal tea that was cradled carefully in her hands. "Besides," she added, "Robin's hair looks good."

Beast Boy's eyes narrowed. "Wait... did you actually compliment someo..," Raven cut him off with an icy glance.

Cyborg must have given up on BB and moved off towards the kitchen, evidenced by the banging and muttled curses as random kitchen ware clattered to the ground. Something glass shattered and he slowly poked his head out from around the corner with a simultaneously innocent and guilty look on his face. When he saw Raven and Beast Boy both staring at him, Beast Boy with a devious grin, Cyborg giggled nervously and waggled his fingers at them.

"We good.. just let me, uh, clean this up." He assured them before shooting back around the corner. Raven glared at the space he had occupied before turning back to her book, her drink rapidly cooling. Beast Boy turned around to finally offer a healthy wringing for Raven's defense of Robin, again raising a finger to punctuate his words, but just as a sound left his mouth, he was again interrupted.

"BB!" Cyborg's muffled voice called. His head must have been buried in a cabinet again.

"What?!" Beast Boy answered, throwing both hands up in the air as he glared where Cyborg's disembodied voice was coming from.

"Come help me with breakfast!" Beast Boy defiantly began to turn back to Raven before Cyborg's voice again stopped him.

"I _know_ you're _not_ bothering our girl!" his voice called, daring Beast Boy to defy him. Beast Boy spun lazily on his heel and began walking over to the kitchen with his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Yes, mom..." He muttered under his breath.

"What?!"

"You guys are no fun at all, that's what. Laaaame" Beast Boy retorted. Raven didn't see it but Cyborg's arm shot out and pulled Beast Boy around the corner where something else crashed to the ground.

"You don't have break everything you touch. You know that though, right?" Cyborg teased in frustration.

"Ah, come on, Cy! We just woke up and you already want to..." The rest of what they said, Raven seemed to tune out. It was the typical morning routine. It never changed. They never actually _fought_ about anything anyway. The bickering was kinda their thing.

About fifteen minutes of semi peaceful quiet punctuated by random chuckles or groans of irritation passed before Robin keyed in the code to open the common room door. The enticing scent of breakfast was already making its way to other rooms, his nose prompting him to locate the source of the delightful aroma. He could definitely use it after the late night this morning. He stopped and huffed in amusement at the thought. Maybe he should get some more sleep in the future if he was going to laugh at his own mismatched thoughts.

The door to the common room slid open with barely a sound, the bright morning light illuminating the combat ready uniform he always wore nearly without fail. He saw Beast Boy and Cyborg laboring over the stove, shoving each other out of their respective ways while Cyborg feigned gags at Beast Boy's imitation meat. He could hear them as he mounted the steps down to the floor.

"If animals weren't meant to be eaten then they shouldn't have been made out of delicious meat." Cyborg told BB, unwilling to give any ground, as usual, on BB's insistence that it was just fundamentally wrong to eat animals.

"I second that." Robin called to his companions with a slight good morning style wave. Cyborg fixed him with finger pistols before raising one to leisurely blow away the implied smoke.

"I rest my case." Cyborg concluded while pretending to twirl the fake gun before slamming it into its imaginary holster with a deadly grin. Beast Boy huffed and crossed his arms in defeat yet again. His shoulders raised in irritation before waving past them to go over the the game station instead. "No help, BB?" Cyborg called after him to which he did not answer.

"What's his deal?" Robin asked, crossing his arms and settling against the kitchen island. Cyborg simply glanced at him with a confused expression while flipping one of many sizzling sausage patties and links.

"You gotta ask?" he replied with a question and a knowing chuckle.

"Granted." Robin relented with his own chuckle. It was just the daily routine. Cyborg recentered his focus solely on his wide array of breakfast items. Robin settled for staying where he was, patiently waiting for the meal to be prepared since Cyborg never asked for help. Before long, a panel on Cyborg's rather large right shoulder slid aside and a catchy 80's tune started to play from it. He drummed his fingers against the counter to the beat.

" _Take me as I am_ ," he sang, lifting the spatula to his mouth like a microphone. " _put your hand in mine. Now and forever_..." He accentuated by bringing his other fist to his chest in a feigned display of passion. Robin laughed heartily which caused Cyborg to glare menacing at his out of the corner of his eyes. Cyborg threw his "mic" arm around Robin's neck while extending his other out in front of him pointing to some distant horizon. " _Deep inside I always knew!_ "He continued further, straining on the last note which caused Robin to sputter with laughter. Cyborg straightened and took his arm back, gesturing Robin away in the exact way he thought a teenage girl would, complete with head bob. He decided it was best to leave his friend to his old tunes, moving to squeeze behind him and make a break for the couch. "What? Not a Chicago man?" Robin heard Cyborg call while he rounded the corner.

Shaking his head at his friends antics, Robin saw two more members of his team lounging on the couch. However, one of them captured his attention much more than the other. The flat big screen what had been retracted into the floor earlier in the morning was finally displayed in all of its splendor. 4k resolution, 3D display, and all. The young man in him marveled at the awesome power of such a device, allowing anyone to experience anything like they were there! Well, not that much but still, it was awesome! Even still, that wasn't what kept his attention this time.

The sun, while not directly shining through the window, outlined Raven's head, the light appearing to dance across her violet locks. Her hood hung languidly over the back of the couch and it was obvious she was engrossed in another book. This was not out of the ordinary in the slightest but he took special notice of it this time. His evaluation was cut short when he was abruptly brought back to reality. He hadn't processed it at the time but it was Beast Boy that sat next to her, pestering her about one thing or another. Likely it was to play video games with him which Raven, most certainly, did. not. do.

"Come on, Rae," Beast Boy began, barely heard over Cyborg's fading music. He reached out to give Raven's shoulder a shake. He didn't get that far. A black aura appeared specifically around the back of his uniform where it pinched the material, lifting him up bodily. This was more normal, Robin thought. Beast Boy didn't hesitate and turned into a lowly hummingbird to escape the grasp before morphing back into human form, sitting on the coffee table in front of the TV. "Rae," He began again.

"Don't call me that." Raven bit out, her brow furrowing in an attempt to salvage her waning concentration on the book.

Beast Boy grinned nervously. "I can't get anywhere with anyone this morning, Rob!" This was enough to snap Robin back to reality and settle back into relaxed leader mode, attempting to clear his mind of his consideration of Raven. Raven then actually turned her eyes up to Beast Boy.

"Maybe if you weren't such a pest, we would want you around!" BB and Robin both flinched at the bite behind her words. That, however, didn't faze him.

"You know you like having me around, Raven." BB grinned with surety, turning around and grabbing the game station controller and the remote, focusing on the TV.

"Mmm hmm." Raven assured lazily with a sigh, turning her eyes back to her page before rebounding. She looked over her shoulder at the their leader in surprise, like she had just realised he was there.

"Morning, Raven." Robin greeted with a friendly smile, sitting down next to her at a respectable distance. Raven's eyes softened and she nodded at him before closing the book around a finger to keep her place, resting it in her lap.

"A little too early if you ask me." She said conversationally. The fact that she hadn't sensed Robin so closely was disconcerting but she chocked it up to Beast Boy's annoyance. Being this close to Robin again, she could sense a flurry of fragmented, unasked questions in her mind. Knowing they didn't belong to her, she studied Robin for a moment. His expression never changed and didn't give up anything besides general pleasantness. She couldn't be certain but if this were true, when did she start being able to hear his unguarded thoughts without making a conscious effort to? Raven blinked away the thought and filed it away for later consideration.

"You can say that again." Robin replied, rubbing a masked eye while scratching his chest. 'I am definitely NOT ready to train today." Both Robin and Raven looked down at their communicators and saw that training was scheduled to start in a measly 20 minutes. They both inwardly sighed but didn't show any other outward reaction. Whether it was recognized or not, they were both leaders of the team in their own rights. If they started slacking, so would all the others. Willing himself to not dwell on the inevitable, Robin changed the subject. "Where is Star?" The small changeling that sat in front of them seemed to slip their minds, not that he was paying them any mind either in the midst of his game

Raven settled back further into the couch. "She is... at the "mall of shopping" or at the "house of coffee" or something. I wasn't exactly listening very intently." She said. "Either way, she should be back for breakfast." Regrettably, the two of them didn't have a chance to converse further before the aforementioned Titan barreled through the door. Robin's question of why Starfire had started shopping so early was swiftly cut off.

"Friends! I have purchased the most delightfully hot of coffees for each of you!" Starfire bellowed in excitement as she enthusiastically laid the drink carrier on the kitchen island. Her obviously new, rather large brimmed, hat almost tipped off her head in her haste, she barely saving it from a warm and caffeinated demise. The multitude of strained shopping bags hanging from her deceptively strong arms came clattering to the ground as she ran to distribute everyone's preferred drink to its rightful owner. Raven tried to politely refuse the offered drink but where Starfire was concerned, there was no refusal. She accepted the offered drink anyway, set down her book with a stray piece of paper to hold her place, and received a bone crushing hug for her troubles.

"Star." Robin called to the alien girl. She didn't seem to notice him. "Staaaar." he drew out. When she finally looked at him with a massive smile, he pointed to Raven. "I don't think she's breathing." he said, a mild note of worry on his tone. Star's expression changed to one of embarrassment before releasing Raven, who took a long strained breath in recovery.

"I am most sorry, friend Raven!" Star attempted to apologise. When Raven finally caught her breath, she waved off the excitable young woman.

"Don't worry about it. Thanks for the coffee." She replied, smoothing out the wrinkles in the cloth and readjusting the clasp of her cloak. Starfire's previous smile reappeared at this before bouncing over to Cyborg to give him the same treatment.

"Must have gone to both places, huh?" Robin asked absently. He took another deep breath and slouched from the lingering pain of his own "hug".

"It would look that way, wouldn't it?" Was Raven's simple reply, color, or lack of it, returning to her skin. Robin couldn't help but snicker at her plight.

"Come on, let's eat and then get some training in. We're already a little behind today." Raven nodded in agreement and stepped out in front of Robin who stood back with his arm raised, indicating she could go first. If anyone noticed, they would have only seen a courteous gesture. The both of them grabbed plates where Cyborg had set them out and began to serve themselves. The forgotten Beast Boy darted in behind them, peeking over their shoulders expectantly at the spread. Yes, nothing ever really changed. But was that so bad?

 **XXXXX**

Robin couldn't help but be proud of his team. In only a few short years they learned how to fight in tandem flawlessly, magnifying their effectiveness in a way that only utter faith in one another could. Such was evidenced by Cyborg obliterating all the test targets in all ways that they would appear, sailing through the air with brute strength while maintaining a hint of grace.

Starfire soared effortlessly through the gradually warming air of the training room, slinging all form of her radiant green energy towards any obstacle in her way. Why dodge when you could punch straight through? If she could do that, Robin couldn't think of any reason to chastise her for skipping any hinderance.

Beast Boy twisted this way and that, almost leisurely forming into any animal that was necessary to wip out of the way of incoming stun fire or deflect it away from his friends. Even if he did get on all of their nerves constantly most days, there was almost no one else that they would rather have at their side in a fight at any given time. The whole animal kingdom? Why not?

Raven was as simplistic as ever, methodically assisting any of her team mates that may have left their defenses open while making her own way to their goal. She rarely would flaunt and flourish her abilities but even still, her elegant poise was apparent to the Titan's leader. Her mantra had become so ingrained even in his own mind that it was like he could sense her just about to say it before the words left her mouth.

Before long the training session had come to an end, the team standing triumphantly at the end of the course. Beast Boy held the flag they'd been sent to retrieve. Completing the course in a time that none of them could have hoped for a few years ago, they all stood proudly. Some more than others. Beast Boy and Cyborg had an air of semi-arrogance about them if the defiant smiles on their faces followed by a hearty high five had anything to say about it. Starfire bounced on her feet and cheered while Raven simple stood, grinning. Naturally, Robin had been observing instead of participating.

As there still was no word of any situation where they were required, they all tried to decide what to do today. In Starfire's case, it was quite obvious. Shopping of course. It didn't matter if she had already been. There were always more of the clothing stores to visit. Not having anything else to do, Cyborg decided to drive her, as he wanted to take the T-Car out for a spin to test one of his many frequent modifications. Naturally, Beast Boy was attached to him at the hip and went with them, fitting his projection device snuggly around his wrist as to hide his identity. Cyborg had no intention of ever leaving the car but he did project a, while still a stylish model, much less notable car on top of his just to keep a low profile. Tinted windows for the win. Booyah.

Robin and Raven, the latter bird especially, assured the departing three that it was more than ok to leave the two of them at the tower. There was plenty of work related things that needed solitude to be done in any case. None of them expected Raven to go anyway. She always said no. Robin, in a one in a million chance, just wanted to relax today. Such was the last the two remaining Titans saw of the others for most of the day, or each other for that matter.

The evening time rolled around before either of them began to wonder where their friends were. At least in Raven's case, that curiosity was short lived. It was so much more peaceful this way. Her stomach rumbled before she stubbornly set down her second book that day, relenting begrudgingly to her bodily needs. She stood up from her bed and tossed her cloak back onto it, fairly certain they wouldn't be getting a call any time soon. A pair of simple black, above knee gym shorts floated to her waiting grasp. She opted to leave the leotard in place for simple ease. As she dressed, she revisited the plot of her aforementioned story.

' _Honestly, who would keep tempting fate like that? Once he's dead, he's dead. Leave it alone!_ 'She thought with almost humorous levels of conviction. ' _Sure, if I could bring one of the Titans back if they died, I would try too. Not everyone has a mystical winged being to come and save the day...that's ludicrous. What god could possibly be such a wimp anyway?_ ' Her thoughts trailed off with a huff. It baffled her why she found the premise so enticing but that didn't change the fact that it indeed was.

Letting the thought die away, Raven cinched the shorts tight around her waist, one side of her belt still resting against her hip. She palmed the door panel to which the door opened with scarcely a sound. The hallways had darkened, barely lit by the emergency lighting that spotted the ceiling every 15 or 20 feet. For what must be the millionth time now, it struck her how unnecessarily large this building was for only the five team members. If felt almost... empty, even when they were all there. That's not to say she didn't appreciate that fact from time to time. Sometimes the Earth was not big enough to get away from Beast Boy's annoying antics or Starfire's incessant nagging for the girl's nights and the make overs. Before long, Raven reached the kitchen, opting to leave the lights off. The sun was setting but still sat just high enough to illuminate the common room with it's delicate orange glow.

Rummaging around in the fridge uttered less than fruitful results. Literally. There was nothing but garbage food and some questionably aged milk that looked to be not a liquid anymore. ' _There's has got to be something in here..._ ' her thoughts trailed off as she swept the old junk into a waiting trash can. No one else was going to. She was almost certain of that. After a minute or two of doing that and coming up with nothing but a half eaten burger that was likely from a couple days ago, she gave up and slapped the door shut in frustration. Leaving the spoiling trash in the kitchen wouldn't solve anything anyway so she settled for levitating it from the can, placing a fresh bag in before she headed to the trash shoot, full bag floating after her. Possibilities for sustenance were filtering through her head when she felt something off.

The Titan's Tower had its own resonance largely due to the shocking amount of tech and generators that were scattered around the whole thing and because of how tall it was. The wind liked to play havoc on it but Cyborg had built her tough. Even so, what Raven felt was different. The floor would vibrate minutely at a different frequency than was usual, sometimes fading and returning in exactly the same intervals.

' _Music?_ ' She thought. No audible sound was noticeable up here so it must have been coming from below. Hurriedly dumping the garbage down the chute, she made her way briskly to the elevator before pressing the key that would take her down to the floor where the garage was. After an uneventful ride, it became more apparent that the sound was indeed coming from the garage. Raven made her way towards the entryway and peaked through one of the double door's windows, making sure to keep out of sight of anyone in the room. If it was Robin in there, fine, but she had seen enough to know she needed to be careful just in case.

Raven's reconnaissance proved pointless as it actually was only Robin. She relaxed her stance. Robin's R-Cycle stood propped up on a jack where he leaned over it, facing away from her, tinkering with something that she could not see. He wore a plain white t-shirt and loose fitting jeans with frayed hems, complete with sufficiently worn old green tennis shoes. That obnoxious yellow tool belt still fit snugly around his waist. And go figure, the featureless white mask still rested over his eyes. The latter she could see the edges of when he turned his head appraise some other tool he needed. Admittedly, her curiosity was piqued as she had never taken the time to witness him working on his motorcycle before. The Titan vehicles had never been any of her concern. She'd always thought that was a thing Cyborg did or maybe Robin too did to unwind. Opting for the latter, she didn't barge through the door in favor of observing him as he worked to give him peace. There had never really ever been a chance for her to work on a vehicle or anything for that matter so she had no idea what she was looking at. She only noticed how Robin did it with complete certainty and exceptional skill.

Raven blinked her eyes back into focus at the thought. Why was she allowing herself to stand behind a barrier and watch him? Logic spoke up in her mind, rationalizing everything.

' _We've never seen this before. If he is as good at this as he looks, maybe we can learn something._ ' Logic reasoned. Raven couldn't argue with that. Good to know a little about most things. That did not stop Timid from hopping in.

' _We should probably go. He wouldn't like us lingering. We can't learn anything out here anyway_.' Timid spoke regretfully.

' _Come on, we all know why we want to watch. Just look at that b.._ ' Passion began before Raven clamped down on it and banished it to the back corners of her mind. She didn't even want to consider what it was going to say. The bad part was she already knew what it was going to say. They were her, after all.

' _He's always doing such nice things for us and never asks for anything in return. We almost never do anything for him. We should offer to help so he doesn't think we don't care anymore._ ' Called an emotion she didn't quite know how to name. Either that or she didn't want to admit what it was. Either way, Raven shushed them all, unwilling to let the more manifested versions of her emotions cloud her judgement. With her head cleared, she finally began to notice what had brought her down here in the first place.

The music that played was fairly fast paced, punctuated by moderately aggressive strings and accentuated by a standard rock drum beat that traveled easily through the floor. Robin, still oblivious to her presence, drummed a crescent wrench, and some other tool she didn't recognize, against the rear tire that lay detached in front of him.

" _You cut my fuse and lit it. And I'm a psycho menace, don't blame me_." That singer ground out. Raven frowned at this. She hadn't thought Robin would indulge in self destructive music that glorified lack of restraint.

" _I don't wanna have to do this again..._ " The singer continued as the instruments faded. Raven figured that she may have missed part of the song already so decided to give the rest of it a chance.

" _I pray for peace but I'm ready for war! I pray for change cuz I've been here before!_ " The singer sang with conviction, the instruments reappearing to bolster his words. Raven's eyes widened marginally in understanding. That sounded more like Robin. With enough molding of the message, she began to see why Robin liked it.

She refocused from her thought onto Robin again who had now returned to his still hidden repair. Raven propped herself up against the wall, unconsciously settling in. Several more songs of similar pace followed as he reattached the tire, snuggling up the hardware. Every now and then he would drum either his fingers or tools to the beat, bits of his voice reaching her ears as he sang along to certain parts of each song. Raven was struck by how "normal" the young man looked in this environment. He was just a guy maintaining his ride. She found herself leaning in closer to the door as he tightened the hardware around the... she didn't know what it was called, captivated by the pace of the new song that played.

" _I see the question in your eyes. I know what's weighing on your mind._ " The singers twangy country voice told. " _But you can be sure I know my part. 'Cause I'll stand beside you through the years._ " The voice promised. Raven was again taken aback by the change in tone of the music. The song was much more wholesome than the others he had been listening to. She had liked several of the ones that played before but she couldn't help but take special notice of this one. As the song played, the singer promising, " _By the moon and the stars in the sky, I'll be there. I swear._ " and things like, " _I'll build your dreams with these two hands,_ " part of Raven couldn't help but continue to stare blankly at Robin's form as she listened to the song. It struck a chord in her. He had been there for her when it counted. He'd even been there even when it was less critical but it still had no less of an impact on her. He was always there...

Raven forcibly shook her head to clear away the unbidden realization, sighing at herself. What had come over her? There wasn't time to deal with things like this.

' _Well, we are here, aren't we?_ ' The same emotion she refused to name reminded her. Raven would gladly strangle it if she could have but she couldn't deny that what it said made sense.

' _Shut up._ ' She commanded forcefully, unwilling to give it traction.

' _Why does it bother you? Of course, you already know how we feel._ ' It insisted.

' _I said shut up!_ ' Raven screamed inwardly, clenching her fists in the process. The light above her flickered and cracked, the bulb shattering behind the protective casing.

' _Letting Anger out doesn't change anything._ ' It said matter of factly. ' _It never did._ ' It's words were more true than she let herself believe at the moment.

Raven had had enough. Her hands still balled together, she seethed, hissing breaths through gritted teeth. Suddenly, the music stopped. She looked back through the window to see Robin staring over his shoulder directly at her, a look of concern covering his features. He dropped the remote he was holding, likely to control the sound system, and jogged briskly to the door, gently pushing it open. Her intense visage dropping instantly in favor of a surprised one.

"Raven, is everything ok? I thought I heard something explode." Robin asked quickly, looking up and down the hallway out of habit, trying to locate the culprit. Little did he know that she was standing right in front of him. The acrid stench of electrical smoke and seared bulb sockets weaseled their way into his nose. He wrinkled it at this and looked up to see the blackened fixture directly above Raven who was staring back at him while rubbing her arm, looking guilty. "You ok, Rae?" Robin tried again, knowing he found what caused the sound and the damage. He wasn't certain, himself, if it had for sure happened but he could have sworn he felt something before he heard the sound. Almost like... anger. Embarrassment maybe.

Raven didn't respond quickly, caught up in her torrential emotions and the fact that the focal point of them was standing not two feet from her. Biting down forcefully on them and taking command, she quickly tried to appear uncaring. "Yeah. I heard something down here and came to see what it was. Right as I was about to come in, the light went out. Must have shorted or something." She thanked God that she at least knew some technical terms. Robin didn't really buy it though and she could tell. Still, he didn't challenge her on it. He was more than aware of what her abilities could do if they got the better of her.

Robin gently rested his hand in her shoulder and softly moved her aside to get a better look at the light before disappearing back into the garage to grab a ladder. Raven just stared at where he had touched her until he came back. She held the door for him to carry the ladder through before he mounted the ladder and removed the broken cover. Copious amounts of dust, glass, and what looked like black smoke filled the tray before the black substance mysteriously dissipated. Robin still didn't bat an eye. "That is one bad short." He said with a giggle, dabbing at the sweat on his forehead with the bottom of his shirt. Both of them knew that he knew what the actual story was. Raven was surprised he didn't try to make any jokes about it.

"Let me help." Slipped out of her mouth before she even thought about it, grabbing one side of the four foot panel to help him carry it down the ladder so he didn't fall. Like he would fall... Gesturing with her head to take it to the trash in the garage itself, Robin shrugged in a "what the heck" manner and followed her instruction.

"It's no trouble. I can see if I can get it working but that may be a job for Cyborg." He assured Raven, answering her unasked question. She still wore the same stony expression that hid her embarrassment perfectly, save for a slight redness in her cheeks that he chose wisely not to address.

"He's not here. I might as well help." Raven said simply, dumping the broken light in the trash with him. The climate in the large room itself was noticeably cooler due to the concrete floor. She was immediately thankful she still wore her boots. Finally Robin nodded.

"Well, thanks." He said with a smile, rubbing his now black hands on his already greased up t-shirt. He walked over to the R-Cycle and grabbed a rag, tossing it Raven's way so she could clean up too. She caught it with hardly a second glance, dusting her hands off. "Was my music that loud?" He asked casually, kneeling down next to his motorcycle again to inspect it one last time. Raven could now appreciate exactly how large the garage was. She would be willing to bet Cyborg still wanted a bigger one. Every man did. Raven took advantage of his diverted attention to recenter herself before answering.

"I couldn't actually hear it. More felt it." She explained. "In the floor." Robin grinned.

"Sorry. I guess my tunes are more intense than I thought."

"Hardly..."

"Oh really? How many of them did you hear to come up with that?" Robin teased. Raven could recognize when she was backed into a corner. Out of some miracle, Robin didn't give her a chance to answer before changing the subject. What an enigma he was. How could he tease so relentlessly without ever uttering a word about it? It was like there was nothing he wasn't aware of. Well, almost nothing.

"I was just patching up a hole I got in the tire. City driving." He trailed off with a shake of his head. "You'd be surprised what people throw in the road." Raven didn't respond with anything but a nod of her head. She still didn't trust how she would respond or what she would give up of her previous considerations before the untimely interruption of the light. If she was worried about spilling the beans in a conversation about roads then she might have more problems to worry about. Robin thankfully didn't seem to notice as he continued with his explanation, gesturing to the bike as a whole and using words she didn't understand. All thought of fixing the broken light fixture were forgotten in no time flat.

"What?" Was all she said after a minute, accompanied by a thoroughly confused look.

"Oh." Robin exclaimed, looking bashful in the wake of his information regurgitation. "I guess I should have assumed you don't know much about these things." Raven threw him a deadly glare, eyes squinted and arms crossed. She shifted her weight to one leg and tapped the other foot. Robin blew out a nervous chuckle. "Hey, if you don't know, you don't know. There's nothing wrong with that." He assured, shrugging. Raven looked up at the corner of her eyes before shrugging for herself, dropping her offended stance. She mentally chastised herself.

' _Better get ahold of yourself._ ' She thought. Robin continued on anyway, oblivious of her ruminations.

"I can explain some of it to you if you would like. It never hurts to know a thing or two." He reasoned, stepping aside and crossed his arms, allowing her to get a better look of his vehicle. Raven had to peel her eyes away from the way his biceps rippled from the action.

"Sure." She replied simply, doing much better at hiding her frayed nerves now. As if she had broken a dam, Robin spilled forth with a wealth of knowledge, referencing tires, lug nuts, wheel bearings, brakes, disks, hydraulics, pedals, gauges, and everything in between, including how they all connected and what their purpose was. By the time he was done, she didn't feel much smarter but she had soaked up a little bit. She decided to lighten up her previous comment to him.

"So..." She began, walking closer to the R-Cycle, which Robin didn't tend to let many people do, and took a closer look. One hand was propping up her chin. "these are the tires." Raven raised an eyebrow, glancing out of the side of her eyes at Robin to get his reaction as she pointed to them.

"Yes." He responded simply, pinning his lips down around a smile, trying valiantly to hide it.

"And the brakes," She continued, gesturing to the hand brakes on the handle bar. "front and back," she included for extra points. He wasn't even trying to hide his smile anymore so she continued, hoping to get him with this one. "and the wheel bearing." Jabbing her finger at the assembly that ran through the center of the wheel. Robin's eyes lit up.

"Right. You're picking all this up pretty fast." Robin praised.

"I told you where the brakes are." Raven huffed with displeasure, crossing her arms.

"Sure, but did you know what a wheel bearing was before?" Robin challenged. Raven had to admit defeat there.

"No."

"Then I'd say you're making progress." Robin said matter-of-factly. He raised his arms above his head and stretched, a yawn forcing its way out. He looked at his wrist at the watch he had strapped on earlier. "Have you eaten yet?" He asked. Raven shook her head, relaxing her stance.

"No. That's why I came out in the first place." She told him, still wishing she had just stayed in her room to avoid all the embarrassment. Robin's eyes perked up.

"Come on, let's go see what we have. I'll cook this time." He said, making his way to the door.

"I already looked. I threw away just about everything in there. It's all been bad for... quite some time." She said, cringing involuntarily. "We don't have anything." Robin leaned back against the wooden workbench that jutted from the wall and folded his arms.

"Do you want to go get something instead? I need to see if the R-Cycle runs alright after I messed with it." Robin offered, shrugging as if it were no big deal. Raven wasn't sure.

"I don't know, Robin. I don't feel up to grocery shopping right now." She said, gesturing at her clothing. Robin waved dismissively.

Robin waved off her remark. "I'm talking about getting something for _us_." He corrected. He hoped she would accept even as something lept in Raven, at the same time, at his word choice. She disciplined herself once more before responding. This had better not become a problem.

"I suppose so. Just let me go and get some real clothes on." She said, turning on her heels to make her way out the door. She was interrupted by the revving of the bike's engine.

"No time." Robin called with a smile, tossing her a spare helmet. Luckily, it was one not marked with his trademark traffic light colors. She barely caught it in her surprise. "The bike's not gonna wait that long."

"I'm not going out like this." Raven insisted with a stern look. Robin wasn't having it.

"Come on, you wear less than that in battle. You'll be fine. It's still warm out." he promised, trying to convince her. Raven huffed and rolled her eyes before slipping the smooth, angular helmet over her head and hopped on behind him, stiffly at first. This was all too new for her.

She had no intention of wrapping her arms around his waist, though, so chose to settle for the hand holds behind her seat instead. When Robin was sure she was secure, he accelerated through the tunnel that led to the mainland, testing the limits of the machine. He couldn't deny he had an ulterior motive this time.

As Robin pulled out onto a street down town, avoiding all of the crazy drivers with his own brand of craziness, Raven could feel herself losing grip on the handles. Robin went over a bump a little too fast for her liking and she could feel herself lifting from the seat. In her fear, she slipped both of her arms around Robin's waist, holding on for dear life. She couldn't stop the burning in her cheeks caused from a mixture of embarrassment, fear, and another feeling she chose not to satisfy with a name. She couldn't see it but Robin had a massive smile plastered to his face. He couldn't help but laugh to himself and woop.

Raven felt the laughter and couldn't hold back her own smile, allowing herself to calm while holding on to his immovable form. Little did either of them know of each other, both felt at ease with the new configuration. Raven began to lean with him as he took turns, allowing Robin to ride more naturally.

As they rode, Raven's reserved side once again became prevalent, soaking up most of her glee and replacing it with the evenness she was most used to. Robin felt it in the way her hold changed but he didn't care. She didn't ever move her arms from where they were.

The two of them had never been able to have any real fun. Hopefully this would be the mark of a new chapter in their friendship.

 **XXXXX**

"When you said you wanted to go get food," Raven began, opening the door to the empty fridge, "I thought you meant fast food." She examined the cartons in her hands before placing them on a shelf. "Not chinese food. From a decent restaraunt."

"Come on, you know you enjoyed this more than some burger." he said with certainty, propping a lazy hand in his hip with a sly look on his face while stowing his own food. Raven had no intention of giving in.

"Sure, it was good. Right up until just about everyone in the place recognized us!" Raven raised her voice, clearly exasperated. "I told you I didn't want to go out like this." She reminded him sternly, not believing she'd let him drag her out at all. Well, maybe part of it was her stomach too. Nevertheless, Robin was unfazed.

"Are you telling me you didn't enjoy meeting the people that we protect everyday?" Robin tried, switching tactics.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Raven bit out. She enjoyed to eat in peace, not surrounded by many onlookers and press that probably had gotten the wrong idea by seeing both of them out of uniform and alone.

"But the food was good, right?" Robin whispered behind his hand in her ear as if trying to keep a secret. He nodded his head when Raven fixed him with a glare. "Huh? Huh? Am I right?" Raven's eyes fell, giving up finally.

"You're impossible." She conceded. Pinching the bridge of her nose before her forehead collided with her hand in one epic facepalm.

"And don't forget it." Robin reminded with a grin, clapping his hand around her shoulder in a friendly gesture before hopping up on the island. It suddenly struck him that they hadn't heard from their other teammates in quite a while. He thumbed the call button to Cyborg as Raven went about wiping off the counters as something to keep her busy.

"Hey man, what's goin on?" Cyborg answered through a chuckle. Robin could partially see Beast Boy in the background trying to do something to the overly large man Robin spoke to. He was now covered in a plain gray sweatshirt with the hood drawn around his head. Even his cybernetic eye's glow was reduced in order to not draw any attention.

"Nothing to report. Just wondering if you guys are ok. You've been gone for a while." Robin said.

"We were going to come back but the city is playing tons of classic movies in the park all night long!" Cyborg informed with excitement. Beast Boy and Star could be heard cheering.

"Oh how I do so enjoy the movies of the classic variety!" Star squealed. Cyborg chuckled in response.

"Do you two want to come out and watch with us? I _know_ you've already been out." Cyborg said, his voice offering no room for nonsense.

"What do you mean?" Robin tried.

"You're going to try and tell _me_ that wasn't the R-Cycle I heard out here? Nuh uh, don't even try that. _I've_ spent just as many hours on her as _you_ have." Cyborg promised, getting the neck bob going again. Robin grinned and chuckled.

"Fine, yeah, that was me." He relented, choosing to not include Raven when she turned and glared at him. "But I just got back. I'm probably going to hit the hay soon." He tried lamely. Classics sounded fun for sure but he wasn't about to give up the chance to spend some time with the more reclusive member of his team.

"Uh huh. Sure." Cyborg huffed. "Whatever you want, man. You can just miss out on these pieces of history if you so choose! Ask Raven if she..." He trailed off with pursed lips. "Nevermind." He concluded with a knowing huff.

"Sorry man." Robin apologized with a shrug.

"It's cool. Obviously we won't be back at the tower for quite a while so if you need us, you know where to find us." Cyborg said with a nod, a sign of respect for his leader even if they were friends. Robin appreciated it.

"Have fun guys." Robin waved into the camera to which the others waved back and they closed the call.

"So, what now?" He asked, refocusing on the dark member of the team. He was struck by how blank and clueless he was about what to do next. The night was still young, after all. Raven, with regained composure from his annoying remarks before the call, walked past him. "Where are you going?" Robin tried again, watching her seemingly move to leave the room. He tucked his communicator back into his belt.

"I'm going to take a shower. With the amount of bugs that hit me, I'm surprised my clothes are still black." She shot back with a hint of humor. Robin looked apologetic even if he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

"Sorry." He chuckled. "But I thought your leotard was "deep blue"." He challenged, recalling the previous morning. After a moment of deliberation and no response to his challenge, he scooted off the island and followed after her. It didn't take long for her to notice.

"What are you doing?" Raven asked.

"If you got hit while on the back, imagine what it was like for me up front." He reminded, looking down at his dirty work clothes. "Besides, I don't want to rub grease all over everything. Might as well shower too." Raven shrugged and continued on with Robin in tow. Their rooms were probably the closest together in the tower. Even so, that wasn't saying much. There was obviously so much space to go around that the other Titans carved out their own little niche away from the others. Being on the same floor was as close as it came. Comfortable silence fell between the two.

After the sun had set completely, on their ride back to the tower, Raven couldn't help but be reminded of the previous morning and all that it had held. Robin had been there but that wasn't what she was thinking about. She thought of what happened before. The dream. Tendrils of recalled discomfort laced through her chest, only serving to solidify what she experienced. Outwardly her expression and stance never wavered, never allowed any sign of her inner contemplation to be seen. Her efforts barely did the trick. She could hear faint laughter as if it came from a distance away. A sound so saturated with contempt that it felt like a punch to the gut. It began to permeate her mind, making it harder to compose herself. Every time she thought she'd found the source or that it would reveal itself, it faded to the far reaches of her mind only to come back when she had finally decided to let it go. It took a moment but Robin began to notice the stiff gait she'd adopted.

"Raven." He said, laying a hand on her shoulder to stop her when they stood in front of her door. He was used to being able to notice subtle changes in people, little differences in their routine that tipped off their next move. That was part of being a good detective. This was different. He didn't see anything on her expression but he couldn't shake a feeling of unease. "What's wrong?" He asked, genuinely.

Raven stopped in her tracks. The laughter dissipated like smoke in response to Robin's sudden speech. The metaphorical glaze over her eyes lifted as she turned around to face him. His hand was so warm, so gentle... in sharp contrast to the wretched disregard she'd just felt from the disembodied laughter. Even so, what came out of her mouth wasn't what she would have liked it to be. She brushed Robin's hand off her shoulder with a huff, smiling at him. "What do you mean? Nothing is wrong." Raven tried, hoping that was enough to dissuade him from poking around. At the same time she hoped that he would.

"You don't smile just because. Especially not at a serious question." Robin reasoned first, his concern unmoving.

"What are you talking about?" She tried lamely, recognizing the fact it was useless to deny what he thought he was aware of. What was more is that he was right. How could he possibly have known something was amiss?

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Robin said, deadpanned.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Raven prodded, resigning to at least dissecting his methods if she was going to have to confess. What was more is that she even wanted to confess.

Robin's intensity faltered minutely, nervousness crossing his masked features. "It felt," he began, trying to use his hands to explain what he was thinking while he considered the best way to explain himself. "I just felt something change. One second there was peaceful quiet and then it was like... like I was scared suddenly but I knew it wasn't _my_ fear." He tried to explain. He settled on his words, figuring that that was the best way he could possibly say it.

Unfortunately, a currently unwelcome thought sprang up in Raven's mind. Their mental bond. It must have... grown stronger. She had no idea that it would have stayed active for so long, chocking up all of his previous insights to a lucky guess from sharing the same head for a while. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had just felt that fear he was trying to explain. Was it possible that she had projected that into his mind?

' _Maybe the bond is strong enough that he just...knows._ ' She considered, possibilities whipping by at light speed.

"Raven? I know that doesn't make a lot of sense but can you at least say something." Robin tried again, frustrated at his lack of understanding and her silence. "Are you ok?" Raven simply observed him with no change in feature for a moment. She had no desire to tell him of her deductions this soon.

"I am ok. And yes, that makes more sense than you realise..." She answered, trailing off with a hand stroking her chin absently. Her eyes shifted to examine a particularly interesting portion of blank wall while she considered the implications. After another moment, Robin tried again for answers.

"What does that mean, Rae?" He asked, wishing to get to the bottom of this. Robin visibly reigned himself in. Getting wound up about it wouldn't help anything. She answered relatively quickly.

"I don't know what it means yet. I can't be certain." Raven answered with a non-answer. Robin blew out a sigh and stuffed a hand in his pocket.

"I'll be here if you need me, ok? If you find something, will you let me know?" He asked, deciding it was probably best to leave her be, knowing how she operated. He had shed the fear but it still made him uneasy not knowing where it had come from in the first place. Least help of all were Raven's cryptic answers, leaving nothing to be gleaned from them. When she did not answer him and remained focused on the wall, he turned away and went to finish the rest of the journey to his own room. "Good night, Raven." He called over his shoulder. Raven did not enjoy being coddled but that didn't stop him from worrying. Just as he began to round the hallway corner, her soft voice reached his ears.

"Robin?" She called. He turned halfway and looked over his shoulder.

"Yes?"

Raven grinned. "Come ask me tomorrow. I should know more then." With no sign that she was going to say anything else, he nodded, his lips softening, and finished rounding the corner. "Good night, Robin." Her voice again graced his ears, filled with enough graciousness and assurance that his mind was put at ease. If she wasn't worried, then he had no reason to be either.

Raven closed the door behind her and stood at the doorway, all thoughts of cleaning up lost. It's not like it was as bad as she made it out to be anyway. She had just been searching for an excuse to do something. She allowed her eyes to adjust to the dark and it gave herself a moment to consider the implications of what she suspected. When she could see well enough, Raven walked over to her desk that sat next to her many book shelves and lit a candle with a snap of her fingers. The room was bathed in a flickering amber light that casted as many shadows as it abolished. Running her finger over the spines of the books to mark her place, she gradually looked over most of them until she found what she was looking for. It slid out with a cloud of dust, showing exactly how little it was used. Raven brought it to her bed and sat down cross legged, facing away from the light as to take advantage of its illumination on the thick, ancient pages. If anything would give her answers about their bond, this book certainly would.

As she read, the laughter returned but not nearly as apparent as it had before. So quiet was it that she didn't even hear it.

" _You're right to be afraid, my child. Your time will come again soon enough._ "

 **/{XXXXX}\**

Hey guys it's me,

So this turned out much longer than I had anticipated but also included a lot less than I wanted. It will become apparent, as time goes on, what I wanted to include in this but for now this is what came out. My intention with this chapter was to allow Robin and Raven to explore their own feelings on their own while alluding to the greater overall issue. I hope that was done with some sort of accuracy. I have also noticed that as I try to form Robin and Raven's thoughts that they seem to possibly be leaving character. Thoughts are messy. They are not what shows on the outside so that is how I'm justifying it. I think what their outward actions display would fit inside their character models.

Don't worry, anybody who wants to see some semblance of action. I will include conflict in some form or another to mix things up. I am admittedly not great at fight scenes but if anybody wants to take a whack at it or assist me in coming up with an acceptable series of fight events, I'd love to talk with you. I can make it in my head but it's the words that fail me, lol. Anyway, questions that are unanswered in this chapter will of course be answered later. I do not want anyone to think that I leave too many loose ends.

At any rate, thank you for the amount of views and the few favorites and follows I have received for this story. I am open to dialogue with any number of you if you so choose. Thanks again. Enjoy.

Preydator


	3. Chapter 3

**Apology** : I'm sorry guys. I put up this chapter for like 10 minutes last night and I'm sure it showed up in your notifications only to find it didn't exist. I took it down as it was the product of an one all day thing that I posted while I was dead tired. After a minute I realised I didn't want to release crap so I took it down. I won't make that same mistake again. I apologise.

 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing about these characters or anything Teen Titans related... and it makes me sad. On another note, I am changing this story to an "M" rating. It should be noted that I am not changing this rating to include any sexual content. If any of that were to take place that would be between the two characters and even though they are fictional, I have no desire to force my way into that aspect. It can be inferred if the time comes. (Fluff will still reign supreme!) The reason for the "M" rating is the gruesome detail and subject matter I will be bringing light to in this chapter. I am taking the first big risky step in the greater narrative and I hope you all enjoy it to the highest degree it can be.

 **\\{XXXXX}/**

"I figured after you guys spent the whole night before watching movies," Robin began, taking a sip of his overly large carbonated drink, "that you'd lay off for a while." Cyborg and Beast Boy fixed him with shocked and disgusted looks as they shoved more snacks into their mouths. The common room's lights had been turned off, leaving the beautiful TV to cast all of its magnificent rays around the room and into the eyes of the four onlookers.

"And _what_ , may I ask, gave you that idea?" Cyborg began, keeping a modicum of control over his quivering voice as he chewed, unable to possibly understand where Robin was coming from. He was an inch away from exploding into full fledged schooling mode on Robin. Who asked such a thing...

Robin raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what came over me." He relented, realising exactly how ridiculous the assumption was. These two were fueled by on screen entertainment. Nothing in the universe would ever change that. Starfire, who watched the screen with intensity, had been spending much more time with the two of them than usual and he wasn't exactly sure why. Even so, he enjoyed the reprieve from her sometimes off-putting, although entirely well intentioned, energy. He just couldn't keep up half the time. That by no means meant that he didn't enjoy her company but he reasoned that she could learn a lot more about normal behavior and media related... he cut of his own thought. Star learning "normal" from the two friends. Right. She spoke up as if being summoned by the mere thought.

"Robin, are you more of a War of Stars fan or," Starfire began with genuine curiosity before abruptly being cut off by a couple food stuffed cries of indignation.

"It's Star Wars!" Cy and BB corrected in tandem with excessive vigor. She looked embarrassed by her mistake. This did not mean they were watching Star Wars but Robin reasoned she just wanted to flex her media related muscles.

"Yes.. Star Wars." Star giggled at her mistake, recovering from the momentary shyness. "Are you a Star Wars fan or a Treking of..." She stopped with a finger on her chin. "A... "Trekkie?" She tried, correcting her mistake and raising her eyebrows and shoulders in question. Cy and BB didn't look at her but still smiled and gave her thumbs up before returning their attention completely to the screen, loudly munching. Robin was surprised with her expanding media library although he shouldn't have been. He could only guess that was a biproduct of spending so much time with the two jokesters. Still, he was more than happy to set her straight on this one thing.

"Obviously Star Wars is better, Starfire." He said with a huff, dismissing the other "series" with a wave. Cyborg squinted his one organic eye and Robin swore he could hear his friend's neck creak as he slowly turned to fix Robin with an inquisitive, while challenging, glare.

"Care to back that up?" He asked, resting an arm against the back of the couch to fix his leader with a stare. Robin grinned, raising a brow.

"Have you ever seen them? Of course you have. I don't think I need to explain it." He said with confidence.

"Nah, I think you do."

"Really?"

"Really." Beast Boy butted in. Robin blew out a sigh while considering his answer, tapping his finger against his thigh. Boy was he prepared for this one.

"Well, the budget for Star Trek was cheap and it showed, the fight scenes are so slow and clunky that we could have beaten them all at the same time in two seconds flat, the alien woman always fell for the captain, the only character worth recognizing is Spock, Star Wars had a deep underlying story that compelled the viewer to keep watching, allowing them to test their own theories as the movie progressed..." Robin went on for another good minute or so but everyone except Cyborg stopped listening. Cyborg interrupted suddenly.

"Leia kissed her brother." Cy said, cocking his head to the side with an upward turned hand raised, the gesture practically begging Robin to find a way out of that hole. An involuntary shudder flowed through Robin.

"Oh yeah." He tried to backtrack a little bit, setting down his drink so he could use his hands in his explanation. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Well, to be fair, they didn't know they were related."

"She stilled kissed her brother..." Cyborg restated his previous comment, unimpressed with Robin's lame attempt at a defense. The two of them went on for several more minutes before agreeing to leave it alone but Robin squeezed out one more comment on the subject, whispering it in Star's ear so niether Cy or BB could hear him.

"Star Wars is better." He informed matter of factly, giving her a small grin and a quick thumbs up before leaning back onto his space. Star giggled quietly, picking up on the secrecy.

"I agree." She whispered back, giving him a huge grin. Both of them turned back to the movie before them, thoroughly enjoying the time they all spent together.

" _Wouldn't you like to be a pepper too_?" An old Doctor Pepper slogan played across the screen, followed by a heavily modulated voice that read it back. Cyborg and BB guffawed at the scene. Robin didn't pick up on why until he began to recall the premise of the movie. Apparently, a robot had gotten struck by lightning and now was on the run from its creators. It wanted "input" from everything it encountered and naturally, its creators wanted it back. Robin couldn't quite get into it yet through the 80's style acting but he settled in, willing to give it a chance. An hour later, after another shocking incorrect comment by the scientist's Indian assistant, Ben, " _With excitement like this, who needs enemas_?" Cyborg was rolling on the floor. He was pounding the ground with enough force to shake it while he laughed loud enough to need to gasp for breath. Beast Boy shifted into a Hyena and followed suit, filling the room with more distraction from the film. Starfire laughed heartily, smacking Robin's thigh and pointing at the screen before throwing herself back against the couch and closing her eyes, her guffaws increasing in volume. He added his own laugh to the mix, adding to the merriment of the room.

' _Too bad Raven is missing out on this._ ' Robin thought in between bouts, rubbing his stinging thigh absently.

Naturally, the end of the movie came with the victory of the protagonists, the robot even picking out a name for itself that it thought was "cool". Just as the group began to wonder what to watch next, the building alarm began to blare. All four of them bolted up from their sitting positions and drew their communicators from their belts.

"Suspect on the run, evading capture." The officer's voice stuttered as if he didn't know what to say next. "He... it's just... phasing through structures. I've never seen anything quite like it." The present Titans shared a glance, each not having a clue why that was out of the ordinary. The police saw it all the time, especially where Raven was concerned. "The victims... they are deceased." Robin heard the barely controlled terror in the officer's shaky tone. "We need reinforcements." Static sizzled over the frequency for a second as the officer depressed the button on his radio. Not a moment later, another voice filled the line.

"Good copy. Sending back up to..." The voice was cut off as the Titans, with the exception of Robin, stuffed their communicators back into their belts and darted to the elevator, piling in. None of them had to hear where the disturbance originated from. Helicopters and spot lights flooded the scene, providing an easily spotted target. Each of their faces were hardened versions of the excitement they used to feel when dealing with a disturbance. They had seen enough to be aware of when it was time to be focused and intense. The high had since lost its luster and was replaced with a righteous desire for justice. Robin mentally applauded his team as the door began to close around them.

"I'll be right behind you." Robin promised, activating his communicator once more. Cyborg and Beast Boy nodded. Starfire sent a small grin his way with her own nod.

"We'll clear the way." Cyborg spoke simply but with no less of a promise. He sent a semi-salute Robin's way in a friendly fairwell.

"See you there." Was all Robin said in response. He turned away from the elevator as the group descended and keyed in the code to call Raven. She answered before the first ring finished but her video feed only showed part what Robin assumed was one of her room's walls.

"Raven? Did you hear the alert?" Robin asked, speaking quickly. He flinched as he heard what could have only been distant gunfire. Raven's face came into view in response to the sound as she looked out of her window as well.

"Yes, I was just about to call you." She assured, breathing harder than usual. She must have been hurrying to prepare herself for the coming conflict. "Where are the others?"

"They are already on their way." He said with a note of pride. As the words left his mouth, his eyes narrowed. "We need to get moving." Raven did not slow in her activities but there was a moment of pause in her voice.

"You know I could have met all of you there." She reminded, clasping her cloak around her neck and picking up the device, finally allowing Robin to see her. She pulled the hood over her head with one hand, the cloth casting its unnatural shadow over her features. The communicator's screen fizzled before focusing again.

"I know." Was all Robin said, supressing a grin. He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Then let's go, Boy Wonder." Raven said, turning him around to face her by gripping his arm before she grabbed his hand, her communicator already tucked out of site. Robin was unsurprised by her entrance even in the slightest. He relented and gave her a knowing grin while stowing his own communicator.

"Just like old times?" Robin asked with a raised brow. Raven's hard exterior faltered. She grinned, giving his hand a small squeeze.

"Off to save the world." Was her only reply before setting her other hand on his opposing shoulder, an impossibly dark aura settling over them. Raven's eyes glowed with a brilliant white light that stood in stark contrast to her magic, it almost bleeding into the darkness like dye through water. A solemn expression settled over her features, speaking to her true mastery of her abilities. Robin never let his mind wander from their current task but some part of him was still, after all this time, left in awe of her. Her piercing light never faded even as the world around them went completely black. Only when the aura faded in a flicker did her eyes revert to their usual amethyst, her hands disappearing into the deep folds on her cloak. The two Titans looked up as the others jogged up to them and came to a halt, all of them scrutinizing the scene around them in stunned surprise.

All around them police vehicles of all capability and armament were pulled off of the road diagonally, their drivers taking cover behind their opened doors. Most of them swapped watching the empty street out in front of them and radioing in their status every minute or so as the comm traffic allowed. Lights from emergency vehicles lit up the ebony night sky for at least a couple blocks, flicking about to illuminate any alley, building, or doorway that their operator chose. They had all seen plenty of law enforement before but not on the scale that was before them and not ever with such unsettling worry.

A man, who had to be a leader of the operation, spoke clearly into his radio while directing arriving law enforcement personnel where they were needed. He barely took notice of the group of five heroes until Beast Boy walked up to him, commanding his attention. Robin kept his head on a swivel as Beast Boy engaged the man, dissecting the scene with carefully practiced eyes. Still, he couldn't see or hear what had caused all the disruption.

"The Titans? Good." The man said with no inflection in his voice while extending his hand to Robin, who shook it before stepping back so the others could do the same. He was concerned by how almost disinterested the man seemed. Brown eyes did nothing to enhance the man's image. A voice sounded over the radios of a group of SWAT type operatives that stood nearby, the men falling into a single file line before jogging off to obey whatever order they had been given. Starfire clenched her fist in an effort to not accompany them. Robin was struck by the fact the agent wasn't rushing to fill him and his team in on the situation.

"So, Agent..." Robin began, refocusing his gaze back to the agent from the disappearing backs of the operatives. He assumed the man before them was FBI if the lettering on his blue jacket meant anything.

"Davis. Carl Davis." The man informed, nodding to accompany the introduction. His lips pursed slightly under his chestnut moustache. So far as Robin could tell, there was nothing special about this guy.

"Agent Davis, what's the sitrep? The radio chatter claimed that there was an unidentified superpowered assailant on the run." He inquired, hooking his thumbs around his belt while the others stood behind him in various stages of watchfulness. Davis blew a deep exhale, shifting in his bullet proof vest.

"All we know is that it appears to be male. Mid twenties. Suspect is wearing a.." He began before Raven cut him off, to which he blinked in irritation.

"Wait. It?" She asked, squinting in confusion while awaiting verification. Her arms were now crossed. A spot light panning the street reflected off a puddle of water, light flashing over all of their faces.

"That's right, it." Davis reaffirmed. "That's the problem. Every time we get close enough to it," he faltered, cocking his head to the side as if he were trying to think of how to explain, "it just vanishes. But not before killing anyone that sees it with their own eyes." He stepped back, gesturing to the ambulance that sat parked beyond him. The back doors hung open, allowing the team to see a body that lay on a gurney, covered with a nondescript white sheet. The Agent moved in front of them, waving off the EMT that attempted to block their path. The EMT assuaged, Davis pulled out the gurney out to the ground, dropping the wheels down to let the device stand on its own. He gingerly pinching a top corner of the sheet but he faltered, showing any emotion about the situation for the first time.

"Come on! We have to stop whoever is doing this!" Beast Boy exploded irately, not even allowing Davis, who froze, to pull back the sheet. Seeing that someone had died already was enough to spur him into action. Robin understood that more than he could possibly verbalize but Cyborg beat him to speaking some sense into the changeling.

"We all want to catch him, BB." Cyborg said, resting a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder from behind, either trying to be reassuring or keep him in place. Whichever it was, Robin was grateful for it. ""But we need to know what we're up against first. We never did very well just jumping into the middle of it, did we?" Cyborg asked, not really expecting an answer so when Beast Boy didn't reply, he settled for squeezing his friend's shoulder. BB's expression spoke volumes to the anger that flowed through his veins as he nudged Cyborg's hand away from his shoulder. Starfire stood patiently awaiting instruction while Raven's eyes caged barely contained fury. Death was a touchy subject for her especially considering that she narrowly avoided causing all of it not that long ago. Robin gestured respectfully for the Agent to reveal what lay under the sheet, to which the man obliged.

The remains shocked all except the agent, who had already seen them, and Raven whose invisible rage was only fueled by the sight. Davis only uncovered the head and chest of the body which Robin now knew to be a mercy. If anyone could ever apply that term to this. The man, whose gender could only be identified by the dented nameplate hanging from his tattered uniform, lay supine before them, covered in a multitude of injuries. The damage was extensive.

"This was how we found one of your men." Davis' voice faltered. "He was a good man." He said, absently bouncing his knuckle on the gurney's cushioned top.

The skin and muscle of the man's face were torn, giving it the appearance of being physically ripped away in certain areas, leaving destroyed tendons and ligaments behind. Gashes were deep enough that flaps of skin were left hanging from the muscles below where his cheek bones and the cheeks themselves used to be, revealing teeth and bare bone at the summit of the gash. It was almost like he had been flayed alive... and brutally, although carefully, desecrated. Portions of the forehead were peeled away at seemingly random angles and lengths, revealing cracks and pitted fractures in the skull's forehead seemingly due to blunt force trauma. Bits of black hair still clung to the scalp but what was still there was singed. His throat looked to have been torn out, a gaping hole right where his Adam's apple would have been. The inner workings of his neck were revealed in their gruesome intricacy for all to see. The eyes, or where they used to be, were now black like soot, empty sockets gaped with ebony marks framing the edges as if they had burned from within... Even after all of this there was not a drop of blood on the body, the skin adopting an ashen tone. Despite this the skin that was left did not become taut or drawn, as if it were being preserved by something that wanted it to feel this anguish for eternity. The most unsettling of all was the unmistakable expression of dread that still managed to contort the remains of his face, even in death.

Robin cringed, a feeling of pure evil falling over him with such force that he couldn't decide whether to righteously take a stand or cower in fear. Logic kicked in and he knew what had to be done so he was left baffled with why fear had even entered his mind. With the exception of concern for his friend's well being, fear had been seared from him long ago. Dread only served to dull the positive reactions that could turn the tide of a conflict.

He looked over his shoulder to see three titans in various stages of shock. The three of them took a step back from the body while the one he hadn't counted took a confident step forward. Nothing in her features betrayed a hint of the despondency she now felt after the initial moments of seeing the body. Still, Robin could feel it flowing off of her in waves. As if in response to the somber reveal, mist rained down lazily from the sky, dripping to the ground and sometimes sliding down their exposed skin.

Raven lowered her hands in disbelief. All sound around her seemed to silence as she moved forward, her cloak swelling behind her in the wake of her levitation. Her feet softly touched down on the ground, cloak falling forward and closing around her completely as she took the last step forward. She stared down at the body, her eyes barely daring to blink. All of her surroundings ceased to be of any concern as her focus rested solely on the poor man. She took a small, shaky breath, uncertaintly reaching an arm from her cloak before pulling it back to her chest. She lowered her head and closed her eyes in respect and no small amount of pity. After a moment of recentering, she raised her gaze and set her expression even though a hint of regret plauged her serene visage. Raven's hand again reached out towards him, another shaky breath floating through the silence. Distant whispers flitted through the outskirts of her mind, only serving to enhance the ominous atmosphere. With one last moment of hesitation, she delicitely rested her hand over the body's face, palm where his nose should have been and fingers splayed over the bone of the ravaged forehead. Instantly, to her surprise, the bone under her hand began to pulse. Heat radiated from it in a soft glow of red light that outlined her hand perfectly. Her eyes widened.

Raven moved to take her hand away and move back but to her shock, she found that neither she nor her hand could move from its place. When she looked down at her feet and they still refused to budge, she looked behind her for support from her teammates but found that there was nothing but midnight darkness around her, shrouding anything that may have been beyond it. "Robin?" She called but received no answer. "Cyborg?" Still no answer. "Starfire? Beast Boy?" Still receiving no reply, Raven steeled herself to ride out whatever magic phenomenon now had ahold of her. She would not be afraid of it.

"Awwww, I wouldn't be so sure about that." A mischievous voice teased with a tisk. Before Raven could react, a hand clamped around her arm in a vice like grip, cementing her further in place. The voice was deviously playful and rough like sandpaper all at the same time. Raven slowly turned back to the body, her eyes widening.

"You look... frightened." The voice noted thoughtfully. Raven wasn't ready to believe what she saw.

The body that was clearly dead was sitting up in front of her, somehow managing to grin through its unhinged jaw. The jaw widened as if it were smiling while watching her take in the gruesome sight of it. What was left of the brow muscles bunched in a much more sinister version of a glare as it tipped its head down and to the right to "see"past Raven's hand. Her features somehow contorted into ones of revultion and dread at the same time from the site of the empty sockets staring back at her.

"Come now, you know it's rude to ignore." The body chastised with a throaty, wet cackle. The voice seemed to be coming from the body's throat but a deeper version seemed to be coming from... everywhere. Raven tried to pull her hand back again now that the initial shock had worn off. Seemingly displeased with this, the being intensified its grip on her wrist, the wrist eliciting a series of sickening pops and crunches as the bones gave way to the force. Raven screamed in pain, dropping to her knees and trying in vain to loosen its grip. The being chuckled with pleasure as it too was pulled from the gurney, falling bodily to the ground with her. It layed in a twisted heap in front of her in all of its horrific evil. "Am I... hurting you?" It asked as if it were surprised, with a hint of feigned regret. It still somehow managed to drag its head around to fix her with a hollow gaze once more.

Raven clamped down on her pain and shoved it to the side in an effort to focus. Sweat glistened on her forehead and she managed to look more ashen than she usually did, her hood falling back as her head shot up to regard the being. "What..." She bit out, forcing through the pain. "are.. you?" Her breath came to her in ragged gasps and wheezes as the being somehow managed to permeate her very being, oppressing everything it somehow had access to.

"Oh, isn't it obvious?" It asked, tone as if to a child who didn't have the capability of understanding. "I thought you would recognize me. Here..." It trailed off, using its one functioning arm to drag itself forward and grab Raven's chin, forcing her to look into the eye it chose to let her see past her arm. Raven's efforts to keep it at a distance were denied by the jolting pain the action caused. "Maybe this will jog your memory." The heat under Raven's palm increased, mingling with the pinpricks of electricity and throbbing pain from the already ruined wrist. She moaned with the strain of forcing through the agonizing pain.

 _'Guys, help me!'_

The being gravelly chuckled at her attempts before increasing the sweltering heat once more, getting up from the floor to kneel in front of her on one knee. Raven, who finally relented and cried out, felt the sizzle of her palm against the boiling oppression of the being that relentlessly tormented her. The scent of burning flesh filled the space between them.

 _'Starfire?'_

She still refused to beg for mercy. "Do you.." it asked, releasing her jaw to tap its boney finger against its own hanging jaw bone, "Remember? Now?" The stone adorning Raven's forehead began to glow with outstanding crimson luster.

 _'Beast Boy, Cyborg? Where are you?!'_

Her clothes were now saturated with sweat, her hair glued to her head from the onslaught.

"My gem..." The being trailed off.

Her frantic eyes darted up, somehow the shock of the statement pushing aside the pain. "No..." Raven cried softly. "Not so soon. It can't be..."

"But it is. Daughter."

"Trigon." She bit out, trembling from the exertion. The remains looked pleased. Four blood red eyes appeared, two over the empty holes and two on the forehead under her splayed fingers. "Do not call me that." She hissed, the demon half of her rising to the surface, its blood boiling relentlessly in her heart.

 _'Robin, help me!'_

She could feel the ravenous hatred in her begging to be set free. Her left eye faded to red as another angular eye flashed above it in its malevolent crimson.

 _'Robin, please! I need you!'_

"I do as I choose to. As is evidenced by... this." The body he possessed stood up, Raven's seared hand peeling from the skull with a sickening sound, revealing the bones and seared flesh of her fingers. She retracted it against her chest and curled around it, snarling, nursing it in a way she knew would never be enough. Between bouts of nausea her eyes focused just enough to see the monstrosity before her. The outline of her hand was imprinted against the skull, orange energy swirling within its bounds.

 _'Don't let him take me...'_

Red markings floated lazily through it, very similar to the ones she had shed in her time as his portal previously. "You cannot rid yourself of what you are. The demon in you serves me." In response, Raven uttered an otherworldly growl, baring her now pointed teeth. He laughed, kneeling down close to his "daughter's" ear. He whispered, "I haven't forgotten what you did to me."

A grin stretched Raven's mouth in a heinous arc that stretched from ear to ear, her still lavender eye straining to remain lit, the only physical show of her inward struggle. Her features were tinged red much like her father's skin, a wail exiting her throat as she knelt before him. "Is that a threat!" Raven bellowed, the sound a mixture of her true voice and that of the deeper demon's. A devilish snicker permiated the space between them. Raven winced, forcing down her anger enough to begin to reverse the transformation. "You'll never take me!" She howled, her true voice prevailing.

"What's the matter dear? Afraid of the dark?" Trigon taunted, knowing exactly what that meant to her. A tongue wormed its way out of the skull's mouth to lick at the flopping flesh of its cheek. "I don't desire your approval any longer. Your fear will be all I need to make you do as I wish."

 _'Robin...'_

At that thought and statement, Raven suddenly stopped shaking, her eyes a gentle violet once more. Trigon was slightly taken aback. "What is this? A sudden show of backbone from my failed demon mutt?" He asked with a cackle, showing complete disregard.

 _'You've always been there.'_

 _'I won't fail you or my home again.'_

Her gaze fell back to Trigon. "You used to scare me. But not anymore." Raven stood up in a graceful show of elegance, all signs of her change gone. She raised the hood of her cloak over her head, eyes glowing a heavenly white through the shadow in perfect balance. Glancing down at her ruined wrist and hand, she lifted it up and twisted it before her eyes, examining the damage. With barely more than a thought, the bones, cartilage, and muscle visibly moved beneath the skin, reconnecting and rebuilding the appendage. "I found a better way." She examined the perfectly restored contours of her hand again before lowering it to the side, turning her searing gaze back to Trigon. The fog that surrounded them began to shift to a gray, symbolizing the clash of their power. "If you were really here, you wouldn't waste time converting me. You would try to destroy me. Which means..." She concluded, raising the repaired hand. "you aren't here. This is a vision."

"You think you're so smart? You think you've figured it out?" His eyes glowed with greater intensity, taking a step towards Raven. To her credit, she did not move a muscle. "You're a teenager. You cannot possibly comprehend my plans." Raven stopped her hand, lowering it back down to her side.

"I am no child any longer." She promised, clenching her half raised fist. "Whatever you've planned will not succeed. You've been banished too far from here to be a worry for millennia." Raven promised, unfurling her fist into an accusatory finger pointed his way. Trigon chuckled.

"And again you display your impertinence." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand and turned around. Raven wasn't about to let him ignore her now.

"Face me!" She commanded with a cry, gesturing at his broken form. The body he possessed whirled around and flew into her grasp, her rejuvenated hand firmly squeezed around its vacant throat. "I may have done away with the rage but don't think I won't use it to end you one last time." She promised through gritted teeth, her hand engulfed in white energy that pierced what viens remained on the corpse. Trigon simply smiled.

"It would have helped to use you but as I said, I have no need of you." He said dismissively. The body's full and rejuvenated form flashed before her eyes for the blink of an eye before returning to the gnarled corpse. "I ... suppose your brother will do well enough.

"I have no family that has any part of you. My mother is gone." Raven said, unfazed by the revelation. "You made sure of that." Her eyes continued to glow as she raised her other hand. "I made a new family. But if you have released another demon spawn on my Earth, I will find it. I will kill it." Trigon's dead face seemed unimpressed.

"I already have. What do you think has done all this? He's doing what you refuse to." Trigon revealed. His bottom pair of eyes squinted and he laughed. "Or have you not realised that this is his handiwork?" He asked, gesturing down at the ruined form he possessed. "I'm rather proud, actually." Raven didn't bat an eye.

"Impossible. As long as you are not here, no other demon could have been set free on this world."

"Do you want to test that theory?" Trigon scoffed. "Look at you." Raven didn't dignify that with an actual answer. He knew that it was the human half of her that tied her here.

"Unless," Raven tapped her chin, ignoring his statement. She raised her hand higher. Trigon's vessel opened its maw to speak once more but before it could, Raven snapped her fingers, destroying the illusion and the demon's projection with it. She grinned.

"Don't come back."

The world flashed back to the real world, accompanied by the gentle strike of raindrops against her cheeks and the view of a dark sky. She looked down at the body that still lay on the gurney before her, her hand still splayed out over the man's ruined face. Just as she looked up, a light flashed from a window a few stories up in a building across from them. Raven grinned wider. ' _So long, brother_.' She thought her grin falling away. At least for now that was the last they would see of him hopefully for a long while. The simple possibility that it wasn't was enough to rob her of some of her satisfaction in victory. She let the light rain fall over her face just for a moment longer before turning her gaze to her friends, retrieving her hand from the body. Star, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all stood with looks of confusion on their faces, looking between where the flash had come from and where Raven stood observing them. Robin grunted and stood up from his kneeling position on the sidewalk, his breathing shaky but quickly coming under control.

The Titan's confusion was palpable. "Raven," Beast Boy began. "What uh... what was that?" He asked, not able to come up with anything better. Cyborg still stared at Raven and shook his head to reinforce BB's question.

"Yeah. You said, "Don't come back" and then there was flash and..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck in confusion. "Do we still have a bad guy to catch?" He raised his hands in question. Raven shook her head. "Man, I was looking forward to pummeling some fools." Cyborg said, actually regretting not getting to see some action after what the agent showed them. His hands clanked down to his sides against his metal thighs. Beast Boy piped up. "Yeah!" As if his two cents were required.

"Are you ok, friend Raven? You stood frozen for several of the moments." Starfire checked genuinely, coming forward to squeeze her friends arm. Raven grinned despite her revelation of her father's eventual return. She had suspected he would for months now but she felt even worse knowing it was a certainty. For now at least, they were safe. Whatever Trigon sent to wreak havoc had been sent away with him. That would have to be good enough for now.

"Yeah, Star. I'm ok." She assured, patting her friend's shoulder.

"I'm glad you're ok." Robin piped up, composing himself. It wasn't lost on Raven how he had looked when she first returned to the real world. She still appreciated the sincerity in his tone but she was by no means willing to admit to him that he was a large part of why she succeeded in the first place.

"Me too. Are you ok?" Raven asked, not convinced that he was, even through his tough guy persona he was wearing. Robin shrugged with a fake grin that would have fooled most of anyone. Except his close friends.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" He challenged. Raven sighed and relented. She wasn't about to press at this point. She was exhausted but had enough left in her to be surprised the others for some odd reason didn't seem to notice the predicament Robin was in upon her return. They had been too focused on watching her it seemed. A grunt, followed by a throat clearing, grabbed the attention of the Titans.

"So, does anyone want to explain to me what happened?" Agent Davis asked, giving a small wave to remind them that he was standing there with them. Raven nodded apologetically.

"The threat has been taken care of. It was a mystical creature from another realm that had gotten loose. I sent it back where it belonged. Nothing more to worry about." She explained, trying to sound more convincing to them than she thought of herself. The agent nodded slowly and blinked.

"Riiight." He crossed an arm over his chest and dropped his head into the other palm. "I'm never going to understand what you guys do." Davis admitted, turning his attention back to the body. "So that's it then? It's gone? These men died and now it's just... gone?" In the minutes since their arrival a multitude of body bags had been lined up on the opposing sidewalk, being readied to be loaded into various ambulances by the milling EMT's. A hint of anger and indignation was apparent in the man's tone. "All of these officers will receive no justice?" Robin nodded his head slowly, a disappointed frown spread across his face.

"Unfortunately so, Agent Davis. Such is the nature of most things magic." Robin answered for Raven, who still stood next to the body. She locked eyes with him in a hidden moment of appreciation before turning around and appraising the body again. "We hardly ever get the sense of justice that we want in these cases." Robin continued regretfully. Davis shook his head.

"Damn magic. Damn demons. Damn them all!" Davis yelled, slamming a fist into the side of the ambulance before bringing his hands up behind his head, bending down to try and compose himself through the fury. "How can something possibly exist that we can never hope to stop or even lay a finger on?!" He howled, wailing on the ambulance once more. Raven never turned but reached a hand over to the man's back.

"Don't worry, Carl." She said, using his first name in an effort to calm him. "That is what we do. We do everything we can to stop things like this. You have my word as a Titan to stop all of it to the best of my ability." She spoke soothingly but with a definite tinge of regret. Davis laid his own hand on her back, returning the gesture as he rested his forehead against the ambulance and Raven kept her eyes on the body. The rest of the Titans were struck by the power of such a simple gesture coming from Raven, the darkest of them all. Robin couldn't help but smile. Davis broke the gesture after squeezing his eyes shut even further, pinching back any emotion that wanted to well up to the surface. He turning to Raven who also pivoted to address him.

"I'm sorry, Titan. I know you use magic as well but you use it for," He tried to apologise before Raven held up a hand to silence him. He didn't see it but she was hit by a pang of guilt for the pain that her abilities as a magic user and half demon had already caused that he knew nothing about. Despite that, she smiled.

"I understand, Agent Davis. Thank you." Raven assured, stepping away from him and resting her hand on the chest of the body. After a moment, she added, "We're not all bad." The Agent nodded in agreement despite himself.

"Well, I have the _pleasure_ of telling these men and women's families that they will not be coming home." He spoke the word with understandable venom, a solemn sense of duty spreading over his features. "Also have to figure out the logistics of recovering the bodies and getting them to the morgue." Raven perked up at the mention.

"I think... I think I can help with that, agent." She took a deep look at the face of the dead man in front of her, no longer afraid or repulsed as she willed herself to see the man that the body used to house, not the demon or the corpse that it appeared. "I assume that these officers will be cremated?"

"Yes. They are too disfigured for an open viewing funeral." Davis replied, deadpanned.

"Can I help move that along faster?" Raven inquired, resting her fingertips against the cool metal of the gurney.

"How would you do that?" Davis asked, confused by the request. Raven moved to the head of the body before her before looking expectantly at the agent. After a substantially confused moment, he motioned his concent for her to continue.

Raven closed her eyes and delicately laid her hands on the body's cheek bones, leaning slightly over the form. She spoke her mantra with soft clarity, only loud enough for her to hear but the other Titans could see her mouth moving to form the words. As the last syllable of it was spoken, the body flashed in a muted white glow, dissolving into particles as small as dust. The particles escaped the tattered clothing with ease, every grain floating into Raven's outstretched hands where it flew suspended in her magic's grasp. The now empty clothing seemed to deflate as its occupant left it. The nameplate falling to the ground from the shuffle. Raven's consciousness plucked it from the puddle on the ground and levitated it above the cloud of shifting particles, water glinting brightly off of it. She turned her slightly glowing gaze to the agent. "Do you have anything to put him in?" The agent reached into the ambulance and yanked out a suitable vessel and held it open for the girl would delicately ushered the remains into the container, letting the nameplate drop in her hand.

"Officer Lucado." Raven read aloud softly, commiting the name to memory.

Davis accepted it as she handed it to him with stunned silence.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but... that was kind of beautiful." Davis said in mild disbelief. "Where did you learn to do that?" He questioned, still marveling as he tore the sheet away from the empty clothing.

"From someone who never intended for it to be used this way." Raven responded cryptically, waving off any further explanation, her almost deadpan demeanor taking over once more. "I can do it for the rest if you find that acceptable." She said, dipping her eyes respectfully at the notion.

"Yes, we would all appreciate that." Carl Davis said with an appreciative nod, rolling up the sheet and tossing it into the ambulance. With no further word, the Titans walked to each body they saw, Raven taking a special notice of each of them, reading the names printed on their nameplates. Beast Boy and Cyborg would kneel at each side of the head of the sheet, delicately pulling the sheet back as Raven required it. All of the bodies were in varrying states similar to Lucado's. After she had completed the same process for the next victim, Robin would hold open a vessel for the remains to be deposited into. By that point, Starfire would be back to receive the vessel and the name plate and sometimes rank insignia of the officer or victim, and carry it with great care back over to the awaiting agent who cataloged the vessels with a silent grace that befitted the duty he currently held. After another half an hour of repeating the same process, 17 times, the Titans waved their goodbyes to the agent and any other who acknowledged them before making their ways back to the tower. As they departed, Robin heard Davis barking new orders into his radio. The crisis was over. Time to pack up.

"Come on guys, I'll drive." Cyborg said, none of the usual cheer in his voice. Raven stopped, letting the rest of the group walk ahead.

"I think I'll walk. Thanks though." She declined graciously, much to Cyborg's confusion.

"We just did all that and you want to walk?" He asked, disbelieving, his displeasure at not being able to release his frustration apparent. Her only response was to continue looking at him, her expression never changing. Cy relented with a sigh, accepting of her desire. "Tell me if you need a ride." He told her more out a show of support than her actually ever needing it. Raven nodded in thanks, knowing what he meant. "And tomorrow, maybe you can explain to us what happened." He said, raising his natural brow in question. He still lacking any feeling of triumph from the night. Maybe an explanation of what Raven had done would calm his nerves.

"I told you what happened when I told the agent." Raven reminded, although something about her story didn't sit well with him. Either way, he was beat and it was way past time for bed.

"If you say so, Rae. Come on, y'all." He called with a wave of his hand as he began to walk to where the T-Car was parked. BB and Star moved to follow him but Robin didn't move an inch.

"I'm going to stay with Raven. Who knows if there are any other similar threats out here. Better safe than sorry." Robin reasoned flawlessly even though he knew he wouldn't be much help against mystical threats. Raven turned her head to fix him with a glare that Robin refused to acknowledge.

"Suit yourself. You guys know how to get ahold of us if you need anything." The three others resumed their journey back to the car while Cy called over his shoulder, "and you guys need to start hanging out with us more often. Sheesh." He dismissed them with a wave and disappeared around a corner with BB and Star in tow. The latter two looked as run down as ever. Raven hadn't stopped glaring at Robin.

"There is nothing else out here. You can go back with them." She told him, her tone one of slight indignation at being singled out by Robin. "I'll be ok."

Robin's only answer was, "I know." He began the walk back to the tower, knowing Raven would follow. "I just don't think you should be alone right now."

"What gave you that idea?" She shot back with a huff, wiping stray water from her forehead.

"I could feel what was going on inside of you." Robin replied simply, turning to look over his shoulder at her. Raven stood still, unsure of how to respond. "Come on, you don't have to talk but I won't leave you alone."

Something in Raven's chest warmed at Robin's show of concern for her. If he really had felt anything that was going on inside of her she would have understood if he had wanted to keep his distance. The fact that he had felt any of it was no longer a surprise. It was obvious that their connection was growing at a rate that it previously hadn't but it did not trouble her. Only the desire to stand by him was what drove her forward as they walked the streets towards the tower.

Both of the young adult's minds were tainted by the pain, destruction, and pure evil that they had witnessed and it showed in how they moved. They walked with slightly stiff gaits, casting glances over their shoulders much more than what was required. Despite that, being in each other's presence did more to calm them down than anything else ever would. Raven hadn't noticed but as they walked, she kept moving nearer and nearer to him until they were close enough that sometimes their arms grazed. It occurred to her that she hadn't thought to press Robin for a truthful answer to how he actually felt.

"Robin?" She asked in a quiet tone, trying to get his attention without stopping their pace. The Boy Wonder didn't answer for several moments so she decided to try again. "Robin?" The young man's masked eyes widened and he looked around quickly before settling his gaze on her. His hair, while still spikey, settled a little lower from the moisture lazily dripping from the sky.

"Yeah?" He replied. The chill of the night air was finally reaching them, his skin covered in goose bumps. Raven either didn't seem to notice or it didn't affect her. The cloak probably had something to do with that.

"You seem... troubled. What's wrong?" Raven asked, trying to extend her conversational skills she'd been attempting to put into practice recently. She pulled her hood back so she could see Robin as they walked without turning her head.

"I'll live, I'm sure." Robin joked with a sigh before the smile was quickly replaced by a frown. Raven didn't buy that one bit.

"You know that's not what I meant." Raven corrected, tucking her hair behind her ears in the night breeze. Robin took a moment to respond.

"I guess I just never realised what you deal with all the time." Raven waited for him to continue. "Is that fear and rage what you have to hide from so it doesn't consume you?" He asked, finally willing to take the bait completely. Raven nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Yes." Was her simple, soft spoken reply. After a moment, she continued, her eyes downcast in shame. "That's part of it. How much did you actually see?"

"I didn't see anything but I felt most of it, I think. It was like you were gone for several minutes but it only took a few seconds." Raven thanked God that he hadn't seen what she had been subjected to. She didn't want him to think any different of or treat her any different than he had. "Did I miss anything?" Raven inwardly cringed, hoping he would have stayed away from that. She settled for an answer that hid her actual intentions.

"I don't know what all you felt so I can't say for sure." A silence fell over them as Robin noticed her downcast appearance. He settled his hand around her shoulder in a silent show of support and continued to walk, doing his best to reasure her without being too intrussive. Raven's expression softened marginally, resting her hand on his for a moment before he withdrew his arm with a grin.

The two of them passed the police barricade that was set up to keep out the civilians. Many civilian reporters and regular people alike stood at the barricade and pestered the guarding force for any word on what had taken place. When they saw Robin and Raven their attention immediately moved to the two of them.

"Robin! Can you tell us what happened in there?" "Raven, is it all over?" "Where are the rest of the Titans?" "Was the suspect stopped?" "How many dead are there?" The multitude of people peppered them with questions that didn't seem to end. The two of them shared a solemn gaze and Robin spoke up first.

"I am unable to confirm or deny anything at this time other than the fact that all Titans were present and remain unharmed. What I can say is that yes, this is over. We ask that you obey all law enforcement officers and laws and do not hinder them in their duties. Given enough time and room, they will quickly catalogue the scene and businesses in the district will be reopened..." Robin continued to brief the crowd on the list of behaviors that would assist the officers.

Raven marveled at his professionalism and the way all the information poured out of him as if he didn't even have to think about it. A flash across the sky and roll of thunder did nothing but enhance the image she saw. After a moment of inevitably waving away questions from the mass, Robin looked back at Raven with a raised eyebrow. Raven took the queue and grabbed ahold of his shoulder. Her eyes flashed white and in an instant they were standing between their respective rooms. In the darkness of the hallway the discord and unsettling revelations from that night again settled over them.

"I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight." Robin said with a chuckle, rubbing at his neck while leaning up against the wall. It was obvious that he was joking more than anything but there was enough truth that it gave Raven pause. She took a deep breath, blowing it out as she sunk down to the floor against the wall. After a glance, Robin followed suit, resting his arms on his constricted knees.

"Me neither." Raven agreed honestly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Robin offered, giving her his full attention. Raven couldn't decide what she wanted in truth. Speaking to him or just going to bed sounded both equally enticing. The dull warmth of the tower did its best to lull her to sleep even out in the hallway, her damp cloak clinging to her arms and legs.

"I don't know." She answered honestly, loosening the clasp and tossing the useless garment away from her.

"You told me you wanted to talk to me tonight about the bond thing." Robin remembered. "Did you find out anything about that?" He asked, the urgency of it suddenly returning to him.

"I didn't find anything." Raven admitted, drawing her legs up to her chest, crossing her arms around them. "It's not dangerous though." She lowered her forehead against her arms. "I don't think so anyway." She spoke before she could stop herself. Robin didn't seem to be too concerned by it. In truth, he didn't have the brainpower anymore to worry about it. His mind was still plagued with the memories of excruciating pain and suffering he had felt through Raven. The object of his thoughts turned herself to face him.

"I'm sorry you had to feel that. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again." Raven promised, once again deadpanned. What else was she going to do to prove to Robin that she was serious?

"Raven, stop it." Robin said, bringing his head to rest back against the wall.

"What?" Raven asked, surprised.

"Stop beating yourself up about this. It is what it is. You saved me back then from Slade and if we still have the mental bond from that, so be it. You had no idea it would last this long." He defended her actions. He could sense a slight change in her demeanor before he continued. "If I had to be bonded to anyone..." He trailed off, turning his gaze back to the opposing wall, "I'm glad it's you." Raven practically deflated with relief before she caught herself.

"How could you mean that?" Her mind forced her to say, unwilling to believe him. "Someone being in your head once is bad enough but then feeling what they feel? How could you possibly be ok with that?" Robin lifted his left hand and rested it against her knee, stroking it softly with his thumb.

"We'll figure out how to manage it." Raven almost believed him right then and there. Robin drew his hand back, much to her displeasure. "Hey, so this is gonna sound weird but..." He began, recapturing Raven's attention.

"What?" She prodded, grinning at his embarrassment as it reddened his cheeks. She nudged his shoulder with hers playfully. He grinned but the red didn't fade.

"Why don't we... sleep in the common room? We could watch a movie to calm our minds and eat some snacks and hopefully get some sleep." Robin offered, taking a risk at making himself seem childish. His intentions were entirely pure, only desiring to make Raven feel more at ease.

It didn't slip Raven's mind to wring him for his idea but she chose not to in light of what they all had just experienced. Besides, she was certain she would sleep better with someone near her until she was able to finally discuss what actually happened that night. It troubled her deeply to keep the news of Trigon from him but she saw no way to tell him. Her mind still wanted to reject that it all had even happened, let alone was it able to repeat the tale. She knew she had some measure of time before she needed to tell him. He would only worry otherwise.

"Let me change and get some blankets." She said, trying to hide her rekindled pleasure at his idea behind a dull tone. Standing up and offering Robin a hand, she towed him up and each split off to their own rooms. Her wet cloak flew through the air and smacked against her palm. The two of them met several minutes later in the common room, Robin setting a blanket and pillow on the ground for him while leaving the couch for Raven.

"You don't need to be so chivalrous." Raven jabbed, poking fun at Robin as she watched him skim through several movie choices from her vantage point on the couch. Robin was eternally grateful that the others had already turned in for the night and didn't see them.

"Oh really? I'll duel you for the couch then." He joked, thumbing through his final choices.

"You know... I think I'm ok without that, thanks." Raven shot back, reconsidering her word choice with a huff. "Do you always have a pre-recorded response for everything?" Robin tapped his finger against his chin in mock thought.

"Yes."

"You know that doesn't count."

"I _know_ that." Robin grinned, shooting a glance over his shoulder at his pajama clad companion who simply huffed again before smiling for herself.

"If you were that smart you would see that the couch is plenty big enough for the two of us." Raven informed matter of factly. Robin peeked back over his shoulder, his cheeks blushing.

"What?" He held his final movie choice in his hands, trying to open the new case without tearing the plastic that protected the cover.

"You can sleep on the couch too, Boy Blunder." Raven jabbed. "I'll sleep on this end, "She patted next to her right," and you can sleep on the other end." She finished, pointing to her left. Robin seemed to visibly calm as he finally realised her meaning.

"Oh. Ok." Was his dumb reply as he stuck the DVD in the player. He wasn't about to admit how her comment had made him freeze, not that he needed to anyway.

"That didn't sound like much of a response. I think I won that round." Raven pumped her fist in the air in an uncharacteristic display of good fun.

"Keep your shorts on." Robin waved behind himself, dismissing any dispute to his throne.

"I plan to." Raven shot back, both of them reverting to an early teen type humor. The room filled with snickering chuckles. Robin thumbed the remote and the DVD he'd chosen started to play. He picked up the freshly popped popcorn from the coffee table and sat it firmly between them so they could both reach it. It also created a much needed, while also despised, buffer zone in Raven's mind. She chocked it up to the stress of the day but she couldn't bring herself to be unsettled by him being so close to her. It was like he was the perfect light to counter the approaching darkness in her future. She mentally shrugged off the cheesy thoughts before they could take any further hold on her. Robin fixed her with a look like he had heard her word for word. He grabbed a handful of popcorn, offering some to her even with the bowl between them. She graciously took a couple pieces and popped them into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" Robin reminded, keeping his eyes on hers so she knew he was genuine. He could easily see that her mind was operating at a million miles an hour, her eyes flashing as if she was practically begging to speak although she never did in that manner.

Feeling the usual discomfort at his gaze, Raven looked away from him for a moment. After a little persuation on Hope's part, she promised the pesky manifestation in her mind that she would try to speak to Robin about these things. Hope nearly burst from her head, Joy jumping in on the celebrations. She mentally chided them and they thankfully relented, much to her satisfaction.

"Yes. I do." She replied finally, a measure of gratitude in her soft tone that was not lost on Robin. Robin felt a peace settle over him.

Both of them turned their attention back to the TV where the beginning scene of the movie played.

If this was what it was like to let someone in, it wasn't all bad. In the moment, both of them mentally relented, temporarily letting go of any reservations they may have felt about stepping over a preconceived line. If a monster jumped out in the movie and Raven grabbed ahold of Robin's arm, neither of them paid it any mind. If their hands grazed when they went to grab more popcorn, they graciously took turns waiting for the other to get their fill. When the cool of the night pierced the windows behind the TV, Raven spread her large blanket over both of them to fight it off. Robin laid his hand on her blanket covered knee in thanks and neither jumped to rationalize the gesture. They simply existed together, enjoying whatever peace they could make in that moment. For the second time in their history together, they acted without barriers between each other. Raven couldn't help but regret that the only time they were ever close was when the world was under the threat of her creator. Robin's hearty laugh at the comedic portions casted those regrets to the void before they consumed her. When they fell asleep upright, leaning towards each other, neither of them were conscious to object though neither hero would have had they been aware.

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

 **/{XXXXX}\**

Hey everyone.

This was a bit different than anything I'm used to writing. As was said in the disclaimer at the top, I'm changing the rating to "M" just because of the graphic nature of this chapter. This won't be the last one like this. But to those who may wonder if Rob/Rae is gonna stop until the problem is dealt with, don't worry. That is going to play a huge part in it. Well, it's off to bed for me. Hopefully you guys are enjoying and I am doing the fandom some sort of justice. Thanks to all that have followed, favorited, and reviewed. I will respond in a PM to whoever I can to thank you personally. Oh, and if you all want a list of references or a list of music I listened to while writing as inspiration, I can do that. I probably will anyway. For example : "This Is What You Are" - Warframe Soundtrack, "Together We Will Live Forever" - Clint Mansell, "Leap Of Faith" - Future World Music, and "Bloody Angel" - Avatar. Bloody Angel was for Trigon related stuff. The last is a metal song with scream so if that's not your cup of tea, feel free to skip over that.

At any rate, I'm actually gonna go now. Have a good night or day or whatever time of day it is when reading this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer** : I own nothing to do with Teen Titans

 **A/N** : And so it continues. As always, I would really appreciate it if you guys would leave a comment and followed or favorited so I know you all like it. The story is getting plenty of views (for that I'm thankful) but other than that it's not getting much feedback. Special shoutout to "Lilac Shimmer", "missmarvelgirl", "SernaJ", and a guest that I unfortunately cannot identify :/ for leaving reviews that help me keep going. Thanks guys! I'll remember your names. I've recently gotten a new job and it's putting a new strain on me which is why I haven't updated. I'm worn out and finally get some time off to go about writing another chapter. (Insert cookie cutter excuse, I know. I hate it too.) But ya, PLEASE let me know how you guys like "What Happens Next". If there is any confusion, I'd be happy to explain my reasoning for anything I've included or omitted thus far. At any rate, thank you all again. Here you are.

 **\\{XXXXX}/**

Clattering chains punctuated the air throughout the hallways of the lower levels in the tower. Repetitious thuds accompanied each clatter, prompting Starfire to stop and turn back towards the training room entrance.

It had been only just last night that the titans had to deal with what Raven called a "mystical creature". There was not much that Starfire chose to let unsettle her but such a macabre scene of obvious disregard for life did just that. While it was true that it indeed did unsettle her, the Tamaranean's outgoing and bubbly nature kept the discontent in its place. She knew that letting it loose would possibly damage the somewhat normal day as it had been so far. Despite that, she saw in each of her friends, including Raven, a discord in how they conducted themselves with each other. Maybe it was still the inflated nerves of the night before. In all probability that's exactly what it was. Still, there was no mistaking how no justice was served last night. That or how Raven had seemed to offer an answer that was too quick and dignified to really convince anyone of its truthfulness.

Starfire let the thought go with ease. There was no reason to distrust their friend. They had all been together for too long and been through too much for her to tell them an untruth. Satisfied with her own reasoning, Star backtracked and made for the training room. She saw only one person in the room which was surprising. How could so much noise have come from just one man? Cyborg didn't seem to notice her peeking through the window, so intently focused on dancing around the oversized punching bag hanging before him. Juking around phantom blows he would deliver his own with such intensity that it didn't take a rocket scientist to see he was agitated about something. Star's own mental assertion was verified by the grunts of exertion and growls that now accompanied the rustling equipment. Feeling concern for her friend's state of mind, Starfire gently pushed through the door and floated over to him, sure to keep out of range of his sometimes wild swings that threatened to catch her. Still, Cyborg did not notice her entrance.

"Friend Cyborg?" Starfire called quietly, not wanting to startle him. Her words were broken by a few more of his grunts in quick progression. She absently squeezed her upper arm with her other hand while it lay dangling at her side in nervousness of his reaction.

"Cyborg? What is the wrong?" She tried again, reaching a hand out to tap his shoulder. Before her finger made contact with the warm metal, he whirled on her, fist raised and a decidedly threatening look on his features. A fearful yelp escaped Starfire's mouth while her arms raised to hide her from an attack that would never come. When he noticed who it was he was facing, Cyborg lowered his arm marginally, his face dropping into one of embarrassment.

"Starfire! I'm sorry." He began, lowering his arm down to his side and relaxing his stance while breathing hard. "I was just... just," Cyborg began, seemingly not knowing how to explain such an action that he was about to have taken. Sweat trickled down the organic half of his face, pooling at the juncture where metal met flesh before dripping off his chin. He reached out to reassure the scared girl, lowering her arms down from her face. There was no mistaking the shame he felt for the outburst but it was still tinged with a form of resentment. Starfire was sure the resentment wasn't for her but other than that, she had no idea where it came from. There was no doubt she would find out. She gently shooed away his fussing hands while flashing him a smile to reassure him she was not mad. Spotting a towel laying on the bench that lined the wall, she flew over and grabbed hold of it, tossing it to Cyborg who caught it.

"Are you ok? I have never seen you do the training with such the vigor." Starfire asked, foregoing beating around the bush. She watched as Cyborg dapped the sweat from his brow and chin while she fussed over how her clothing sat as a way to fill the empty time between. It seemed like Cyborg was taking a considerable amount of time to form an answer.

After tossing the towel back to the bench, he planted his fist against his waist and looked down at the mat below him. "I'm ok, Star. Just a little wound up from last night is all." Starfire didn't have a ready response so chose to let her gaze take in the room, her arms loosely wrapped around her stomach.

The room was rather large, as every room in the tower was. This was probably the only one that warranted such a large space however. Every piece of exercise equipment imaginable was present here, complete with an indoor track and even a basketball court. Despite all of this, she got the sense that Cyborg still wasn't able to work out the tension that he had yet to admit to specifically. After a moment of standing in silence, a shrill beep punctuated the quiet. Cyborg lifted his armored forearm and flipped open the gauntlet computer, reading whatever alert had caused the sound.

"You didn't sleep last night, did you?" Starfire asked, uncharacteristically not butchering the english language this time. It didn't take long to learn what each alarm meant when coming from her large metal friend. In this case it was a battery indicator. Cyborg sighed and slapped the panel shut.

"No." He admitted quietly while walking over to the bench to take a load off. Starfire followed close behind him and waited for him to indicate she could sit down. She had no desire the invade his space yet until she knew exactly what was troubling him. When he looked at her and blinked in surprise before gesturing for her to sit down, she slipped her hands under her and smoothed out her skirt as she sat, trying to look as dignified as possible. Well, as dignified as a short skirt would allow. Maybe it was time to try something else someday.

"What is the wrong, friend Cyborg?" She tried again, flashing him a winning grin which was sure to get through to him. He showed no outward indication of its effect but he did choose to answer her truthfully.

"That thing that was loose last night, I never saw it. None of us did except Raven. It murdered 17 good people and got away with it." He huffed, becoming more agitated. "Davis was right. How can something like that exist? How can something like that be _allowed_ to exist? There was nothing that any of us could do except Raven. What are we supposed to do if something like this comes back? We would be helpless!" The whine of servos and a crack sounded between them, prompting them to look down. Cyborg's cybernetic hand was clenched around the lip of the wooden bench, shattering the material. He lifted his fist up and opened his fingers, letting the splinters fall through his fingers while they both watched. His expression turned to one of slight shame while his head dropped in what looked like hopelessness to Starfire, his good eye closed and the other dim. That simply would not do.

"That is why we are fortunate to possess a friend like friend Raven." Starfire reminded, resting her hand over his upturned one that now lay in his lap while the other was planted against the bench, supporting him. "Trigon came and against the odds of insurmountability we defeated him. Friend Raven defeated him." She closed her fingers around his massive palm as she leaned towards him, her strength allowing her to manipulate the limb. Cyborg slowly looked up at her, his dejected expression unmistakable. "That is how we will win. We all have the unique talents. The Teen Titans always win and we won't be the quitters." She reminded with a brilliantly white smile that Cyborg didn't return but his expression did soften. He returned his gaze to the mat, still overtaken by the massive weight of dealing with a threat such as they had experienced last night. Starfire turned, her left knee bumping into his right as she leaned down to meet his forlorn eyes. Still clenching his hand, she smiled again, nudging his knee to which he again focused on her. "I know my friend Cyborg can handle any of the "bad guys." Cyborg huffed a chuckle and grinned lopsidedly at her.

"You're good at these pep talks, you know that?" He told her, leaning back against the backrest and chuckling. Starfire followed him up, overcome with joy to see Cyborg again light up.

"You always cheer me the up. It's my turn to do the cheering of the up variety." She giggled and too rested herself against the back. The two of them laughed for a moment before the silence returned, accompanied by weary visages. She was glad that Cyborg hadn't mentioned the convenient explanation that Raven had offered for the ocurrance of the "creature". There wasn't a whole lot she could say about it other than she just had a feeling there was something off about Raven's story. Despite that, there was nothing substantial ro warrant her concern and if Cyborg didn't pick up on it then it probably wasn't even a problem.

After several moments of silence, Cyborg absently squeezed Star's hand before depositing it back into her own lap, the back of his hand brushing against her leg. He sighed and looked down at the damage his grip had caused to the bench. "I guess I better fix this." He said, the weariness of his intense workout finally getting to his organic side. Not to mention his cybernetics needed a charge as well. Starfire did not miss that fact. Even if he was mostly cybernetic at this point, there was enough organic material left in him that needed the usual workout and rest. Nothing about that could be done quickly.

"Friend Cyborg, I insist you go back to your room and recharge." Starfire commanded, standing with a fist planted firmly on her hip. "I will try and conduct the repairs." She said, trying to convince him to do as she said. After seeing the damage her friend's exasperated mood could bring about, she knew that she couldn't stand seeing him or any of the others feeling like this. Well, with Raven it was a given but Star had learned to leave that alone for the most part. Her not so much offer more than declaration of assistance didn't exactly succeed as Cyborg's deep laughter filled the room once more.

"You are going to fix this? Come on Star, you would need several tools that you don't have. Not to mention you would lose time with the others and lose time out on the town," He began, ticking off each point on his fingers as he stared up out of the corner of his eye when he stood. He couldn't see Starfire's displeased expression and only stopped when she spoke up to interrupt him.

"I indeed may lose the time with our friends but I have the desire to do this for friend Cyborg." Starfire informed him matter of factly. She didn't want to admit, even if it were obvious, that she certainly didn't have the know how to fix the damage. "I don't like seeing you the upset." Her words gave Cyborg pause.

"Uh, sorry Star." He said quickly, dropping his arms to his side and rolling his shoulders as a distractive measure against his shame for inadvertently shooting down her kindness. "I didn't mean to sound like you couldn't do it." Starfire nodded and her infectious smile returned.

"That is ok, Friend Cyborg." She assured with glee while clasping her hands together in anticipation of her coming task. Not to mention her happiness at being able to assist Cyborg. "Teen Titans watch out for each other!" Cyborg walked closer to Star and patted her upper arm on his way around her.

"We should really think of a new name for the team. Some of us aren't even teenagers anymore." He said with a chuckle.

"I was not the age of the teen when I arrived here, anyway." Starfire informed with a mischievous grin. Cyborg whirled around with a pointed finger.

"Wait," He began, cocking his head to the side, still pointing at her, "what do you mean? You're not a teenager?" Cyborg reiterated, utterly taken aback by her admission. Starfire reveled in his confusion, enjoying every second of the reveal.

"We age more slowly on Tamaran." she said as she blinked, reconsidering her answer. "Or maybe Tamaraneans live the longer." Was all she allowed. Cyborg's rapidly blinking eyes and questioning expression was all she needed to continue. "Do not worry. I am... not much the older. I am the same level of.. maturity as a normal Earth teen although I am a small measure of the years older."

"So..." Cyborg began, examining her for any signs to support her claim. She definitely looked young. "you tellin me that you're still a teenager by physical maturity standards but are a little older than the rest of us?" He shot out, speaking quickly and quietly as to not allow any passerby to hear of the development. Starfire nodded eagerly, smiling the whole time. "So, you're not like... old enough to be our mom... right?" Starfire burst out laughing, a pleasant sound but it did nothing but enhance Cyborg's embarrassment.

"Of course not." Starfire assured. "Even if I was, by Tamaran standards, I'm still very young." She told him innocently, hoping to settle him with the answer. If Cyborg had a collar he would be tugging at it right about now.

"Uhhh...cool." He said, flashing her two thumbs up and a nervous grin which she returned only with a greater smile. "I'm gonna..." he began, jabbing a finger over his shoulder to the door.

"Go rest." Was all Starfire said, punctuated by a stern glare. She knew that he needed it and didn't want him to waste any more time. If the Titans needed to respond to any distress they'd need him in top fighting shape. Besides that, she didn't like the discomfort he had been in and probably still was. If there was anything she could do to help her friend, she would. Cyborg chuckled and threw a mock salute her way.

"Yas, ma'am." He replied, letting the age matter drop before turning and making his way towards the door only to spin around when Starfire's voice sounded once more.

"I will think of the names for our team." She promised, shooing him back towards the door when she noticed him turn back. He laughed and shoved his way past the doors, waving lazily at her on his way out.

Starfire couldn't help but feel good at being able to help her friend. That was all she had ever wanted to do for her friends anyway. They had done so much to help her learn more about this planet and had even allowed her to stay here with them. Robin had welcomed her and taught her to fight more efficiently. Beast Boy always made her laugh. Raven taught her how to be dignified and focused when she needed to be, and Cyborg did all of those things in his own way. She owed them all more than she would ever be able to repay. However, for now, Cyborg was the one that needed her attention the most. Surprisingly, that satisfied her more than she thought it ever would.

 **XXXXX**

"Beast Boy it's your turn to do the dishes." Robin called out over the kitchen island to the green couch potato that was engrossed in his current game. Robin tried to set his plate on top of the pile of dishes in the sink but when a few of them shifted and fell further in the sink with a clang, he winced. Deciding it was vastly better idea to just leave it next to the sink for now, he dried his damp gloved hand on the dish rag hanging below the sink.

"I'm pretty sure it isn't." Was Beast Boy's only reply. Robin was honestly surprised he even responded the first time at all. The changeling was now sitting up, turning the controller with each move as if it would help his vehicle any faster. The otherwise quiet air was filled with pressing of greasy buttons and the shifting of the leather cushions as he twisted and various laser and engine noises from the game itself.

"Yeah, it is." Robin insisted, leaning over the back of the couch to watch Beast Boy play for a moment. He hadn't gotten a chance to play this one yet and he had to admit it did seem pretty fun. Another reason to get BB off the couch. He reached over and snatched the controller from the green one's hands, making sure to hit the pause button in the process. "You know it is."

"Fine!" Beast Boy grumbled loudly, bolting to his feet and turning indignantly on Robin. "Better not mess with my game." He said, pointing a finger and looking down it at Robin. Robin only shrugged and to his delight it only prompted Beast Boy to move faster. He dashed over to the kitchen and hurriedly began scrubbing on the dishes in a way that could or could not have been sufficient. Robin couldn't see but he hoped he heard water running. Never could be too sure.

Robin leapt over the back of the couch and fell into the still warm spot with a settling sigh. He and Raven were lucky no one had seen them out here last night. It was a pretty close call but Raven was able to teleport Robin to his bed and she to her own right before Starfire had practically skipped into the room earlier. Or at least that's what he thought Raven had done. He honestly didn't know how he had ended up there but for now he liked to think that's what happened. He picked up the more neatly kept controller and right on queue, the door slip smoothly open, Raven's silent step ushering her into the room. Her usual leotard was covered on the bottom by a pair of black leggings but her uniform was otherwise the same. It took her all of a second to locate Robin, her piercing gaze finding him almost instantly. Her movement halted right inside the door when she knew she had Robin's attention. With what looked like not much more than a stare to anyone else, she gestured with her eyes for him to follow before she turned heel and glided once more out of the room. Robin instantly set down the device and made his way up the small flight of stairs. Beast Boy spoke up over the clanging of dishes and thankfully running water. He hadn't noticed Raven's entry or exit.

"Better not have messed with my game, bro!" He called, to which Robin threw him a grin just to mess with him. It had the desired result as Beast Boy began to scrub much faster than before. Refocusing his gaze on the door, Robin continued his measured stride to and through it, standing silently in the doorway that had yet to close. The morning sunlight cast his shadow down the otherwise empty hallway. Confused, he took a few more tentative steps forward, far enough for the sensor for the door to not "see" him anymore. It shut and a moment later a faint black, human sized, swirl spiraled into existence to his right, soundlessly beckoning him closer to investigate. It didn't remain a mystery to him for much longer.

"Have you never seen a portal before? Come on." Raven's disembodied voice chided through the anomaly, her voice's pitch wavering slightly through the coiling energy.

Robin was certainly confused as to why she hadn't just waited for him to come meet her or where she was taking him but he couldn't find it in himself to be anything but trusting. With hardly a second thought he stepped a foot through, casting a glance over his shoulder to make sure no one saw him. He didn't have anything to hide from his friends but if they saw something this irregular they would undoubtedly ask questions that he had neither the time nor the desire to answer at this point. Not to mention he had no idea why Raven wanted his presence in the first place. It just made sense to be "cautious" for now. They didn't need to know of the mental bond they shared until it began to affect them directly which, hopefully, it never would anyway.

 **XXXXX**

Raven sat perched on the foot board of her bed as she watched a boot clad foot materialize through the portal she maintained. Anticipation and irritation all at once flowed through her, doing nothing to alleviate her tumultuous emotions. With any luck, Robin wouldn't be able to pick up on it. She didn't need any teasing from him or anyone right now. When the rest of his form slipped through, she mentally terminated the gateway, letting her feet rest flat on the ground and her elbows rest against her knees. As soon as he evaluated his surroundings and discovered that he was in Raven's room, a lopsided grin settling over his mouth, she knew that her hopes of avoiding any fun-making were pointless.

"Oh, hey there." Robin greeted offhand, waving as if he had just noticed her for the first time as a joking smile flashed. "If you wanted me to come visit, you could have just asked." He continued, shrugging his shoulders in exaggerated confusion. Raven elicited a huff, a spark lighting inside her at the site of him despite her efforts to remain unfazed. He wasn't going to figure that out quickly though. She wouldn't let him.

"Something told me that you wouldn't want to broadcast our meetings." Raven sighed, trying to insinuate that he should have figured that out on his own. As certain as his newfound fascination with teasing her when they were alone, he visibly dialed back when it looked like he saw the wisdom in her words. Her conclusion was supported when his form relaxed as he walked over to an arm chair sitting off the wall a short distance from her, his aura exuding understanding.

"I guess this _is_ a little out of the ordinary." Robin admitted, gesturing towards the chair he approached, silently asking for her permission to sit. She chose not to answer for a moment in favor of staring into his masked eyes, the stare not challenging but it did seem to await a reaction from him. When he didn't visibly react in any other way than to let his hand relax at his side, Raven chose to explore his reaction through their bond, consciously testing it. What she found was a blank slate but not one without purpose. It was like Robin's mind had been cleared but not out of boredom rather than waiting expectantly for her own reply. Growing tired of her own mental analysis of the situation, she nodded and lowered her eyes to her hands that were now folded in her lap. She sighed, scooting back onto the mattress itself as the foot board was growing decidedly hard.

"I think we're past that now." Raven admitted, responding to his unvoiced question.

"Past what?" Robin asked for clarification as he settled comfortably in her chair. She didn't miss the flash of surprise that she could only attribute to him not expecting the cushions to be so comfortable.

"Asking if you can sit and the like." Raven droned, uncomfortable with addressing the little intricacies in their growing relationship. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and threw the length of her cloak behind her, sitting cross legged.

"We have been together for a long time, haven't we?" Robin asked offhand in agreement. Raven had to work overtime to hide a furious blush at his comment, however innocent and correct it was. Obviously he was talking about their friendship and living in close proximity. Right?

"Sure. Yeah... I guess we've known each other for a long time now." Raven replied, stumbling over words that her lips refused to form correctly. Embarrassment was a truly awful thing. She clasped her hands more tightly together, rocking slightly back and forth absently to release the pent up rush the comment had given her despite her careful filter. Robin squinted marginally, confused with her reaction. His lips feintly retraced the words he had said in an effort to find the source. When he did, his eyes widened and a hand shot up to pull at his collar in an almost comical display as he chuckled in nervousness.

"Yeah... that's what I meant. It's been a long time." He babbled through the chuckle, seeming to settle for rubbing his neck. "Hope", who had been squealing with excitement at his first comment, was now in the proverbial corner, crying when he corrected himself. Raven knew that emotion didn't stay down long. It was all in her nature. Still, the dull sting didn't go unnoticed by Raven. Feeling the urge to press further that was all too unfamiliar but somehow recurring, she opened her mouth to speak.

"It does feel like it's just been the two of us," She turned her head to the side, away from Robin. "for a while." She felt goosebumps grow against her skin, an all too physical sign of the effect the limited conversation was having on her. Shame and discomfort welled in her, reminding her of the effect this young man had upon her carefully constructed visage. Actively trying to not think about something almost 100 percent of the time had the opposite effect. As such, she closed off those thoughts and refocused her gaze of Robin, her composure resettling. Robin had begun to calm as well, busying himself with feeling the differing textures of the chair's fabric. He seemed to notice Raven's change and cleared his throat as he sat up straight. A ting of disappointment settled between them, speaking volumes about how each of them felt but neither wanted to address it out of worry. Raven desperately wished she could comfort him but doing so would break down her barriers. That, she could not do yet. Raven was thankful when Robin spoke up before the unpleasantness of the moment could descend even further.

"What's goin on? Did you need me for something?" Robin queried, all signs of disappointment gone from his tone and posture. Raven couldn't decide if she was thankful or if the fact annoyed her.

"I owe you an explanation for the bond." She said simply, reminding him of her promise a couple of nights before. The previous night still hung in the air around all of them but they were doing their best to purge it. Robin nodded, brows perking up in interest.

"What did you find?" He asked, his curiosity palpable through the aforementioned bond. He propped his chin in his fist, crossing one leg across the other. Raven blinked as her eyes darted around for a moment, regathering her findings in her head. She chewed on her lip until she recalled everything she had learned. Everything wasn't exactly the right word. There wasn't much to say.

"Honestly... there isn't much written of a mental coupling like this. I can only assume that it was never designed to work this way." Raven admitted, giving her shoulders a slight shrug as she pulled her cloak around her legs. Robin waited patiently for her to continue. "All I managed to find was what I already knew for the most part. The spell I used to project my consciousness into your body is fairly common." She paused, considering her words. "What isn't common is traces of... me... staying behind." Robin leaned forward in rapt interest.

"Are you saying that there is a piece of "you" inside me? Like a reflection of you or something like that?" Raven's eyes widened.

"No! Well, not exactly. It's not the me that you see here. It's more similar to... my spirit. The energy that makes me, me." She tried to explain, doing her best to assuage any misconceptions he may be forming.

"Your soul?" He asked behind carefully reigned urgency. His curiosity was altogether refreshing but difficult to handle. Sometimes it was easier to just accept what was said and leave it at that. That didn't seem to be enough for him. It was... charming.

"No. The demonic part of me doesn't allow me to have one." Raven clarified with a hint of regret. For as long as she cared to remember, she'd been told that the demon part, that clung to her like a leech, prevented her from having a soul. Even further, it was only through Azar's direct consent that she was allowed in Azarath. Such a place was the closest place she would allow herself to see as heaven in all of it's pure, pastel color. Robin seemed to pick up on her considerations and broke through them.

"I don't believe it. Who told you that?" Robin asked as if he couldn't fathom why anyone would try and convince her of something like that. Such a reaction was not surprising to her anymore but it was no less touching and irritating at the same time. She wasn't a child. She believed what she did because that's what she did. Plain and simple.

"Azarath. Trigon. Myself." Raven listed, her tone not quite carrying venom over the subject but close to it. Magma did touch her veins when the unbidden remembrance of Trigon descended upon her. Here she was trying to solve one issue when one of vastly more importance was in view.

 _'This is selfish.'_ She thought, losing conviction.

Her reaction did seem to temper Robin's reaction.

"I don't believe that." He said simply. Sitting back fully in the chair and resting his hands on his knees.

"Please, tell me how you would be aware of more than the great scholars of Azarath? The demon who spawned me? How would you know more about my "soul" than even I would?!" Raven asked quite forcefully, her insecurity over the subject apparent. Even hearing the word in passing was a damaging occasion for her. As long as she had heard she didn't have one, she had also heard how people used the existence of a soul to validate the goodness of a person. They all believed that the possession of one signified some "greater good" that was inside them. She had been denied that. Trigon's reappearance had only served to remind her of that somber fact.

"I look at all the good that you have done." Robin said simply as if it were the most obvious thing in the multiverse. "A soulless demon does not do the things that you do." He didn't offer any more explanation to his reasoning but he didn't have to. Raven could feel the certainty radiating from him. Despite the passing appreciation she felt, his words didn't do much to persuade her differently. Instead, she chose to continue where she left off. Despite her knowledge, his words did calm her enough to focus on the subject at hand instead of her devil of a father.

"Anyway, in a way, yes. Part of me is still within you. Enough of my essence stayed behind that when I feel something, if you are attuned to listen for it, you can feel it too. The same goes for me. If you experience intense or passing emotion or are injured, I feel the same emotion and the same pain." Raven took a deep breath and waited. Robin tilted his head to side minutely as he thought.

"Would that prove to be tactically disadvantageous?" He asked, ever worried about the team's effectiveness.

"It has the potential to be. It hasn't been a problem already so I don't see why it would be as long as we manage it. I guess it's good we discovered it early on." Raven replied, hoping to calm his concern. The moment the statement left her mouth, however, she realised how dumb the last portion was. The bond had obviously not _just_ formed. Who knew what else could travel between it. Suddenly, Robin's foot began to tap the ground, its speed picking up as his knuckles absently knocked against the arm rest. He began to chew at the insides of his cheeks as if he were nervous. She couldn't feel any emotion like that coming from him though. "What are you doing?" she asked, choosing to not show outward concern other than the question itself.

"I d-don't... know.. I was listening and then all of t-the sudden... I-I became anxious, I guess." Robin struggled, seemingly confused, himself by his actions as his eyes darted from his fist to his feet. That did not help him stop. A light bulb went off in Raven's mind after a moment of quick thinking. The only thing it could have been is her own anxiety pouring over the bond into him. That definitely could not happen anymore.

"I'm sorry..." Raven trailed off, desperately trying to decide whether to admit her findings or not. Why did she have to? Couldn't he just figure it out? Giving up on her internal argument, she regathered herself in a successful effort to rid Robin of his foreign anxiety. Robin calmed almost immediately, giving her form an appraising once over, his brow scrunched in speculation. Her face was now aimed down into her lap, unable to face him upon her realization.

' _This is not worth it. Maybe if I just tell him what he wants to hear, he'll go away. Things can go back to how they were.'_ Her thoughts plagued her, wishing away every bit of discomfort the subject brought. Luckily, as he always did, Robin seemed to pick up on the source of her current distress. She now knew where some of his random pinpointed insights came from but they still were as helpful as they could ever be.

"Rae, I understand that you feel anxious but I promise," he began, leaning forward. His elbows rested on his knees and his hands clasped in a show of sincerity, looking her in the eye," you don't have anything to be worried about from me. I am not here to judge you. We're in this together." He reminded, exuding trust enough for Raven to easily grasp.

' _What?_ ' Was all her mind mustered. There were so many questions. Some of them were of disbelief, concern, irritation, and just plain confusion. They were all summed up in one word.

After some deliberation, Robin chose to stand from the chair and exercise his new right, as given by Raven, to sit down on her bed next to her. This wasn't exactly what Raven had meant but she couldn't be bothered to correct him. His mere presence nearing her did wonders to sooth her even though insecurity and anger still took the spotlight. Robin, although inexperienced with reading her through the bond, digested enough to understand plenty about how she felt. He left his feet hanging off the side of the bed but turned his head to face her, his hands fidgeting with the cloth of her sheets. Uneasiness drifted between them before he seemed to find his courage, hitting Raven with something she didn't expect.

"I told you that if you needed someone, you can come to me." He reminded, simply stating fact.

"Yes." Raven responded, monotoned.

"Then why are you keeping things from me?" He asked, point blank. His hands stopped fidgeting all together and he turned further, one leg now resting on her bed. Raven knew it was fruitless to deny it once more but she simply couldn't come clean right now.

"There are a lot of things I keep from you and the others." Raven replied, taking efforts to be perfectly vague. A flare of irritation hit her but it never showed on his features before it was replaced by calm objectiveness with no small amount of conviction.

"Don't give me that." Robin challenged gently. "I know you came to me out of honesty to fulfill your promise of explaining the bond to me, of course. But I still feel like," he stopped, showing no outward sign of his struggle for words,"there's something else that you aren't telling me."

"There are some things that I simply cannot tell anyone. No one will understand." Raven said, deadpanned, her voice cracking slightly through the suppressed emotion.

"You forget," Robin reminded, gently resting his hand around her left shoulder, "I have been in your head. I would have thought you'd remember that by now." He finished with a soft chuckle.

The room around Raven seemed to grow larger, the walls extending far beyond her reach as the darkness that the single lamp she had did not abate, descended upon her. It created a chasm between her and any other existence around her. Robin's hand was all that she felt tethering her to reality. Raven withdrew so deeply within that she could feel the welcoming and damning arms of the darkness reaching for her. Even so, Robin's hand held her high enough that its fingers could not grasp her.

"When we found each other, in the beginning of it all, I saw such power in you. Such a complete command of an aspect of the multiverse that I did not have the barest notions of." Robin's voice echoed through the blackness, the glowing eyes of the darkness pacing below her dangling form that she did not have the will to move. Only his hand saved her from the slow death the demon wanted so badly. She knew her reaction was extreme but it did nothing to remove the tumultuous despair inside her. This was what was nesting in what Robin claimed was her soul. This was what is real.

"As we fought together, I saw something truly special emerge." His voice continued. Raven wanted desperately to turn back to him, to turn away from the abyss but as it always did, the abyss stared back at her. It grinned hungrily, filling her with such terror. Even so, another part wanted it, craved it. That was what she had to defeat. "I saw a hero emerge." Still unable to will herself out of the pit she had constructed for herself, she spoke.

"Inside me, it has always been there. It was awakened by Trigon and I was not able to control it on my own..." She spoke faintly, fear tangible in her tone. To Robin's view her eyes were closed but in the pit they were wide with dread. A single tear slipped down her cheek and off her chin, passing through the incorporeal form below her. She could swear that a chuckle passed around her.

"But you did control it. You defeated Trigon, the source of your torment." Robin reasoned, his tone unwavering.

"But I didn't..." Raven spoke in a softly strained high pitch tone, her voiced admission bringing the dire nature of the reveal down around her. Her eyes clamped shut, desperately attempting to stop the flow of tears that threatened to gush forth, only succeeding in squeezing them out. Her chin quivered; her lips stretched in the heartbreaking pain of hopelessness as sobs escaped them. She could not bring herself to even wipe the tears away. She deserved all that afflicted her. Maybe it would actually make her pay for what she was. Maybe it would do what no other being could or would not.

Robin squeezed her shoulder and used the grip to turn her to face him. "What do you mean?" He asked, careful to keep his disbelief uselessly hidden from the empath. His action forced Raven from her vision, her previously clean face reddened and hardened with tears of sorrow and bitterness.

"He's back, Robin." She forced out, her tone constricted from the strain. She covered her face with her hands in vain effort to hide her immense confusion. The lamp bulb shattered in a puff of black smoke as several books from the shelf either teetered off of it or flew against the opposing wall, shattering into hundreds of pages and vacant covers. She could sense Robin's gaze darting around the room frantically, unsure of how to react to the unpredictable outburst of her power under duress. The room was thrown into near complete darkness with the exception of the negligible light peeking around the curtains. The scene inspired such... fear.

"What do you mean, Raven?! I do not see him." Robin asked frantically, utterly confused and agitated by the events around him. He grasped her other shoulder with his other hand, gripping firmly in order so that she would look at him. Still, she did not.

"He's not here now." Raven said through a sob. "It was him that killed all of those people last night. It was him." She finally lowered her hands that tightened into white knuckled fists. "It was him!" she cried with outrage. Her eyes adopted a black tone that was usually reserved for her magic alone. All of her books and notebooks, pencils and other magic tomes, swirled around them. Her hair and their capes whipped up in the unholy current of energy, her anger taking ahold of her. Robin saw her eyes tint red as her fists smashed down against her thighs, like she had no regard for harming herself. In all honesty, she didn't. The enormity of her father's return finally settled over her, its weight threatening to drown her.

A book smashed against his shoulder in the torrent, knocking his attention loose for only a moment before he regained it. His grip, that never left her shoulders, shook her just enough to force her ebony pools for eyes to him.

"Raven! Raven?!" He called, desperately trying to force his way through her impenetrable gaze. "Please, we can fix this!" Robin reasoned. Raven's voice was eerily even.

"How?" She asked in a way that did not invite an actual answer. "We defeated him before and look what good that did." A fraction of Raven's being could see that her rage was pouring over into Robin as his hands tightened further, a growl escaping through his clenched jaw. She knew he still did not let it dictate his actions but was disgusted that she still couldn't bring herself to care now.

"We always do." He strained. "The Titans are the spark that will light the fire that will burn him to the ground. We will do what we must!" He promised with a pleading edge. This was a being that he had no problem with killing. A hero's creed had no place when it came to eradicating pure evil. His hair fluttered in the force, other objects striking him in the back and arms, causing him to wince. Robin saw Raven's untamed furosity only grow, awakened further by the thought of killing the source of her sorrow.

Raven barely contained herself. She saw the young man sitting before her, even saw him struck multiple times by her power's unforgiving control over any loose object in the room. She saw him pleading with her. She heard him pleading. She saw the way his own anger began to take control of him undoubtedly through her. But most of all, she saw the gentleness that never left his eyes. That was what gave her pause. He was crazy. This was a possibly apocalyptic event and he still managed to remain somewhat level headed. Even through her lack of control, he still only wanted to save her from it? Her mind rejected the possibility.

Robin suddenly pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms tightly around her back in a firm embrace. "Raven." He spoke gently." Trust me, we will fix this." His words were spoken with such certainty and care that her eyes flashed violet once more as they darted back and forth, disbelieving of the embrace she found herself in.

' _NO!_ ' Her anger roared from the depths.

"How do you know he is back?"

Raven's eyes hardened, still not pulling back but not returning the gesture either. The tornado of objects circling around them slowed but did not stop. "I spoke to him." She said, her voice devoid of emotion. She could sense Robin's startled surprise.

"It _was_ him." Robin said, running the fact through his own mouth as if to verify it further. Raven knew he was referring to their mission yesterday. She nodded her head, her hardened shell breaking.

"Yes." Her voice cracked with shame and grief. Robin scooted closer to her, bringing her ever further into his arms as he sensed her anger begin to pass.

Raven's shame and anger had been a part of her for so long. She'd given it too much quarter as she navigated around it, suppressing even the slightest emotion that forced her confront it. The struggle was all hidden behind a false solid exterior that she convinced even herself was real. She had convinced herself that she felt no guilt. No pain. No conflict. No purpose. No love... Now... she was no longer willing to relent to the lie. Raven knew she experienced all of those things. The weight of that realisation crashed down around her, shattering every last bit of reservation she had. As Robin clenched her in his arms, the storm of objects swirling around them dropped to the ground, the unnatural darkness brought about by her magic dissipating.

"I need help." Raven admitted, the mere sentence expressing such honesty and transparency that relieved her while releasing sorrow once more. She wrapped her arms around his torso under his arms, holding on to him as if he were the only thing tethering her to reality. Her sobs were muffled against the warm fabris of his shoulder. The two were near silent for several moments, calm settling throughout the room while the remnants of the event still clung at their minds.

Robin lifted one hand from her back, pressing it to the back of her head. A torrent of tears burst forth from her eyes. She had never felt so safe in her entire life. So cared for. Robin lifted himself fully onto the bed, turning Raven around, with her assistance, and pulled her back against his chest. He leaned his cheek protectively against the side of her head to which she sobbed with relief. She hooked her hands around the arms that held her against his gently beating heart, the pulse easily reaching her. The steady rhythm soothed her, his warm breath brushing against her cheek. Only now did she see the welts and growing bruises that dotted his arms, the evidence of her outburst's effect on him. She turned her head and stared up into his eyes, guilt saturating her features as her eyes gleaned from the tears. Her fingers gingerly traced the edges of the wounds, indicating to him what she could not say with words. In remorse, Raven began to pull away from him, intent on distancing herself from him if she couldn't trust to herself to not injure even him. Robin's hold constricted her, not allowing her to leave his hold. Raven gave up immediately, mullified by his strong frame that she rested against.

"It is nothing." Robin reasoned, an almost imperceptible chuckle vibrated through his chest. Being this close, it was not lost on Raven.

"How can you say that?" Raven questioned in a faint tone, leaning her head back against his shoulder.

"Because it does not matter." He said simply, dismissing all possibility of denying his words.

Minutes passed in silence before either of them considered breaking it. Both of them settled from the occasion, Robin firm in his promise to help her and Raven shocked and comforted by his tender care.

"I need to find my place in all of this." Raven said absently, just loud enough to be heard as to not break the peaceful quiet. Robin nodded sagely.

"You already know your place." Robin gently stroked her arm. "It's with us. Fighting the enemy. We have your back against anything." He took a deep breath that welled up against Raven's back and dissipated as he released it. "Let the past die." Raven tilted her head up to look at him, her expression obviously questioning the wisdom of his statement. "What has your remembrance done for you?" He challenged softly, prompting her to consider his reasoning. "When has it ever been useful to you?" Raven could see what his intentions were. It was greater than the simple questions themselves.

"I can't let it die. The Titans are in it." Raven reminded him, knowing that wasn't what he meant but still choosing to remind him of the fact. Robin grinned lightly before his expression reverted to one of a serious nature.

"You told me that you do not have a soul. You just proved that to be a lie."

Raven didn't follow his reasoning at first. Her eyes turned downward to his legs that surrounded her, in thought.

"You are loved and whether you can admit it or not, you love us. If you were soulless, you wouldn't care whether you lost us or not." Robin reasoned, lowering a hand to gently rub her thigh. Neither of them were alarmed by the gesture in light of all that happened. Raven couldn't help but be annoyed that Robin still made it all about the team and not about just them. She figured that by now he would have caught on. If he had, he gave no indication of it besides the embrace they still help. She chose her words carefully as to not come out plainly.

"I wouldn't say I "love" the others. Cyborg and Beast Boy are like brothers and Star more of a sister." Raven explained, leaving Robin obviously out of the equation.

"If you consider them brothers and sister, I would say that you love them as a sibling would." Robin said. Raven starred in thought for a moment before relenting. She didn't suppose there was anything she could say to deny his words.

"I guess." She relented, relaxing her grip on his arms and resting her head again against his shoulder, closing her eyes. Her tone was the usual monotonous with a hint of jest. Robin undoubtedly picked up on it but didn't outwardly react to it.

"Let the rage die." He said. "Let Trigon's influence over you die. Kill it.". Raven understood the wisdom behind his words. Even so, it was not something that could easily be achieved. "Find something to replace it." He offered, giving her a look into the way his own mind worked. She had known his past was rocky at best after the meld but it hadn't given her enough time to see what he had done to counter it.

"Like what?" Raven prodded, interested in seeing where his train of thought was going. Her voice didn't raise above a whisper. She rubbed her face, redness from the tears and puffiness still irritating her skin.

"That is not for me to decide." Robin explained, running his hand through her tassled hair. The action caused Raven's eyes to fall closed slowly, a soft coo of pleasure escaping her throat. Her eyes shot open at the sound but she quickly settled back as his fingers slowed, allowing her to appreciate every little sensation they made across her head. A pleased sigh escaped her lips. At this point, she was likely to do anything that he asked of her. Surprisingly, not a single flare of emotion rose up to deny the experience. It struck her how odd that it was but she couldn't bring herself to consider it further. Never before had such peace flowed through her. Meditation brought about calm, yes, but it was an emotionless calm. One that was devoid of anything. This was one filled with contentment, as if something she had been yearning for had finally been realized.

"You're right. I will find something." Raven promised him but more importantly herself. She had a goal to strive for now. Something to keep her grounded and something to move towards. Best of all, Robin was still with her through the entirety of it. Despite what he know knew and what he had witnessed, it didn't shake his loyalty. "Will you still be with me?" She asked, unwilling to hide her partiality to him any longer. Robin blinked in surprise but his motion did not cease. She could feel the slight shock in him but it was also intertwined with something that both scared and comforted her.

"Of course." Robin promised. When Raven felt him kiss the top of her head, her cheeks instantly reddened. This time, however, it was with affection. She twisted in his arms to look up at him, resting her opened palm over his chest where his heart was.

"Don't make a girl a promise you can't keep." Raven warned, her blush settling to a more natural color. She felt Robin's heart rate increase below her hand, his eyes blinking rapidly as his throat cleared.

"I would never." Robin replied, Raven believing every syllable of the sentence. She smiled up at him, the expression filled with an exuberance that she never let anyone see. Slowly leaning towards his face, she placed he hand against the opposing side of his head. In the moment of complete safety, she placed a gentle kiss against his cheek, lingering long enough for it to carry the message through to him. She most definitely didn't just see him as just a friend or a brother. It was so much more complicated than that. Yet, it was so simple.

"Thank you, Robin." Raven thanked gratefully, her tone soft as velvet. She had no desire to use the grating while monotonous tone she usually would have. This was a side of her that even she wasn't familiar with. That said, it all felt so natural. She was sure her individual emotions were having a field day in her mind but she didn't feel any single one on its own. It was like they all were cooperating for once, coming together to create only the true Raven. Robin cleared his throat once more in nervousness at the development, beginning to pull back from their embrace.

"Do we need to find a way to take care of Trigon right now? Is he going to attack soon?" Robin asked, starting to fall back into crime fighting leader mode. Raven let him pull away but sat up after him, not leaving his side.

"No." She said, sweetly. "He won't be back for a while. I sent him back to where he came from... wherever that was." Raven explained with a frown, leaning away from Robin. The gravity of the situation settled over her after the moment with Robin was broken. Now was not the time to get wrapped up in matters of the heart, she mentally chastend herself. "He shouldn't be able to return for a time. At least not in the near future."

"How will we tell the others?" Robin asked the obvious question. "When?" Raven considered for a moment.

"We don't need to tell them today. I need to be certain it wasn't a projection only and that it was indeed him. Maybe it was something pretending to be him." She reasoned, knowing that any hope of it being a different entity were slim to none. The matter of the "brother" development was another beast in its own right. She had yet to even tell him about that part. Robin seemed to consider her answer before coming to a conclusion.

"I was planning on giving the Titans a day off anyway. After last night, I can't be certain any of us would be of any use to each other in a fight." Robin rubbed his chin, leaning forward as his legs now hung off the side of her bed again. His eyes perked up suddenly. "Maybe I can help you do some research?" He offered, like it was the only logical step. He was, afterall, a master detective. However, this was nothing like what he was used to. Raven wasn't about to tell him that. RIght now, she wanted him as near to her as he could be for as long as he could be.

"Yes. I would like th..." She began, catching herself. "I mean, yeah, that would speed along the process." After the moment had broken, her embarrassment over her feelings towards him began settling back in even though she did want him to stay. The ever-present idea of simply phazing through the floor and away from this situation crossed her mind. Robin squashed it with another unexpected question.

"So... how long have you felt that way?" He asked tentatively, pointing to the cheek she had kissed. Nothing came to her mind besides a challenge of her own.

"I don't know." She stared upwards towards the top of her head. "How long have you felt like that?" Raven inquired. Robin chuckled.

"Uhh..." He shrugged his shoulders in a bashful display. "Longer than I care to admit, if I'm honest." He admitted, folding his hands together. She reached for them and took them in her's.

"I would have said something sooner but I didn't know how it... would affect us. Besides, would it have had the same effect as now?" He asked. Raven looked away for a moment before looking back with squinted eyes, squeezing his hands.

"Were you waiting for something like this to happen, Boy Blunder?" She asked in mock shock, somewhat worried by his motivations.

"Absolutely not..." Robin assured with a look of shock."But," he began, a grin forming, "you have to admit. It worked nicely , didn't it?" He asked, a huge smile plastered to his face as he laughed in an effort to remove any embarrassment. Raven laughed despite herself, all concern dissipating.

"That is not a good thing to admit, Bird Brain." She scolded, chuckling around the serious expression she tried to adopt. "But..." She opened, raising a hand against the back of his head as she leaned closer to him. "I'm happy you're here." She concluded, pulling his head towards her. As they grew closer, Raven guided their foreheads together in a simple display of unity. She hoped that Robin saw it that way. She knew that neither of them were ready to advance anything especially in light of how the admission came to about. They needed time. THat didn't mean she didn't wish to show him her own affection still. Robin pulled back after several seconds, cupping her cheek with his gloved hand, his masked eyes hungrily taking in every detail of her face as if it were the first time.

"Should we get started?" He asked.

"With what?" Raven asked, absently ignoring any interruption to her investigation of every inch of Robin's face. His breath collided against her, only aiding in her disconnection from reality.

"With the research." He reminded, smiling. Raven forcefully shook her head out of whatever wonderland it had decided to vacation to.

"Oh, right." She said quickly, standing from her bed and turning towards the pile of disorganized and scattered papers that used to be her collection of books in embarrassment. Seeing there needed to be much more work done before they could even begin to research, she frowned deeply, sighing. Robin stepped up behind her and pulled her against him with one arm as she fumed, her irritation obvious to him.

"Don't worry." Robin assured. "I'll help you reorganize." He stepped away from her and started gathering randomly strewn papers and bindings, setting them in semi organized piles. After a minute of consideration, Raven joined him. Somehow, this chore didn't seem so bad anymore.

 _'Azar have mercy._ ' She thought, extending her silent prayer over everything happening in her tumultuous life before kneeling down next to Robin. She discarded her cloak before taking a stack from him, setting it in the pile he had set aside for her spell books specifically.

What a day. What a week. And yet... there was no end in site. Somehow, Raven didn't fear the future at that moment. Robin had inspired something in her. What was she going to do with it? Not even she was certain. Still, something would indeed come to pass.

This time, she promised it would not longer be the demon that chose what it was.


	5. Chapter 5

**\\{XXXXX}/**

"What do we do now?" A raspy voice dripping with cynicism challenged, the sound so abrasive that it bore a hole in between one's eyes. That would be true if the recipient was a mere man.

"Why rush, my spawn? We have all of eternity." Another deceptively calm voice responded, the tone cooler than ice but carried the ember hue of inner rage.

"You created me to do one thing." The first voice reminded offhand, venom dripping from every syllable. A soft shuffling penetrated the otherwise silent space around them. The sound grew closer to the other, staying just out of range as if unable or undesiring to move nearer. The second voice laughed, a rumbling wave that reverberated through the floor. The owner of the first voice flinched slightly before snarling at its fear, snuffing it out before it could be noticed. Such an act was fruitless.

"I have not forgotten." The second voice reminded with marginal humor in its tone. Like it could possibly forget an iota of its own scheme. "Now, you do not forget. You will obey me. I trust I do not need to remind you what happens if that fact slips your... limited mind." It concluded, grinning behind the veil of shadow that drifted around it, serving to keep its likeness hidden. The first voice was silent for several moments before a low growl proceeded its reply.

"Yes... father."

 **XXXXX**

"What do we do now?" Raven asked in a tamed, sultry tone, directing her previously distracted attention to her traffic light colored companion that sat behind her. He absently rubbed the tention from her shoulders as he considered her words. She closed her eyes in an effort to give him her attention instead of her surroundings since she could not face him.

"Why rush? Is there a risk that he will return in the very near future?" Robin asked his own question in response as he refocused his efforts closer to the base of her neck. She sighed in relaxation, leaning back slightly into his kneading fingers and the soft, warm sunlight that shown through her rarely drawn drapes.

"There is always a risk." She started, pulling her hair forward around her neck so it didn't interfere with his motions. It didn't feel _great_ when he accidentally pulled it. "You of all people know to respect the risk." Raven reminded, allowing a hint of a reprimand to taint her otherwise factual statement. Robin sighed as he moved his grip down her shoulders, working his fingers gently but forcefully through the tense, lean muscle tissue beneath her perfectly ashen skin.

"You're right." Robin admitted, his voice telling her all she needed to know. With that, he already had jettisoned the idea of putting it off. "I just thought it would be nice to spend a little more time... organizing your belongings before we got back to work." Raven nodded, her head lolling back against his arm.

The room around them was almost completely cleaned of any trace concerning Raven's impromptu tornado of objects with the exception of neatly stacked pages that sat near their, thankfully only marginally damaged, respective covers and bindings. It all lay on the floor before them, waiting to be glued or tied back together.

In the three days since Raven's outburst, Robin's bruises had almost faded with the assistance of her magic, thankfully allowing them to move past the bitter sweet experience as best they could. Mostly it was Raven who had difficulty forgetting about the harm she had caused him. Although, he made certain he didn't give her the chance to wallow in it. The exact events would never be forgotten but with any luck it wouldn't always be "bitter" sweet. Raven looked down at her fingers that sat upturned in her lap, analyzing the increasing number of bandaids in them as the days went by.

"Me too..." She admitted honestly, her tone quiet. She still wasn't comfortable with being perfectly and plainly honest about her desires, where Robin was concerned, but made a conscious effort to try and work around it. Raven leaned her head back up, turning her fingers this way and that as she examined them. Her palms and fingertips red from the friction of the sheets passing through them. "But I don't really enjoy that constant paper cuts. Have you ever been cut by an ancient page?" She asked, turning her head just enough to be able to see him out of the corner of her eye. "They're thick." Robin chuckled, resting his extended arms over her shoulders, dangling his digits in view of her eyes.

"That's why I wear gloves." He reminded, rubbing his thumbs against the fingers of their respective hands.

Raven sighed, her shoulders slouching at the thought. Her distracted mind hadn't been cognizant enough to remind her of something so simple. Robin noticed her posture slacken, the previously light hearted air about her replaced with one of what he could only guess to be irritation with herself.

"Come on, Rae," Robin began, squeezing her shoulder before resuming his motions, "it's a simple oversight." He reminded, attempting to lighten whatever blow she was dealing upon herself.

Little did the young man understand, Raven was hardly worried about only the superficial damage to her skin. More to the point, she had been distracted enough to not even protect herself even after multiple cuts. The way he took hold of her mind unconsciously or otherwise, bending and molding it to compliment his own was almost... intoxicating. Was that what it was like to trust someone? Let them distract you to the degree you forgot to take care of yourself? Trying to make sense of her inquisitive thoughts only proved to make things more difficult. What made matters worse was Robin still sat behind her, his aura exuding calm.

How does he do that?

Her frustration rose and fell in an instant, dissolving into thoughtlessness. What was she supposed to do? She not only was at a loss for what to do with the fact her previously believed freedom from her past was now gone, but that Trigon would certainly exact wrathful revenge on the entire Earth for her role in purging him from it.

 _How can Robin be at peace with this?_

"I'm not." Robin spoke suddenly, pulling Raven back to the present. She had long since ceased to feel his kneading fingers, only realizing their absence now that it was no longer there. She turned her head to meet his eyes, only to turn back suddenly in shame, dipping her head slightly. Unable to find the source of her distress, Raven clamped down and buried it. She turned her head to face him, hair falling back behind her shoulders, this time with no outward weakness.

"What?" Raven asked, managing to sound gruff while being equal parts surprised and annoyed by his abrupt speech. Robin's left hand fell to his side while his right gingerly gripped her shoulder, sliding down to rest just above her elbow. Raven turned her head away, anger at herself forcing her eyes to wander anywhere but his. He sighed through his nose, not with frustration, but as if he were relaxing. Like he expected this.

"You were wondering how I am ok knowing Trigon is coming." Robin spoke in an even tone, sliding his hand down her sleeved arm to carefully grasp the hand that was laid atop her thigh. She did not stop him. His fingers wrapped softly around her palm, his thumb rubbing circles around the gem situated on the back of her hand. "Honestly, I'm not." Was the only answer he offered for several moments. Raven, numb to his touch from rising anger, allowed herself to speak while she was in control.

"What do you mean? I didn't ask you anything." She asked, voice devoid of emotion.

"I heard you. In my head." Robin explained, seemingly unable to think of a more eloquent way to put it. "It must be easier to sense things when you're pensive." He remarked, signs of an ingratiating smirk on his lips.

Gloved fingers squeezed around ashen ones with mirth only to be left empty as Raven snatched her hand away from his. There was no mistaking the ting of hurt on his aura. Despite her action, she did not move any farther away from him. Part of it was the fact that if anyone should move, it was him. This was her room after all. The other part was much more complicated than that. Past the rising, embarrassing anger, some part of her remembered she didn't want to cause him pain. Sometimes that didn't prove to be enough.

"Rae.." Robin began, "Raven. What's wrong?" He didn't try to reach for her hand or try to touch her again but it was unmistakable that he wanted to. His tone remained measured but he spoke more quickly, giving away his concern.

 _Stop asking me that._

Remaining stock still, Raven spoke quietly. An almost accusatory tone tainted her words. "He's coming." She did not need to refer to who. Robin already knew. "And you're ok with sitting around? Doing nothing?" Raven knew her words were false even as they fell from her mouth like venom, seeking out any way to harm. Robin pulled his slightly misplaced glove tightly back over his hand. Yet again, he did not allow her words to dictate his.

"I, we, are not doing "nothing"." Robin said, seemingly confident he could placate her. He ran a hand through his hair, his breathing perfectly steady. "I thought we agreed to tell the others after we finished here." He reminded, obviously beginning to sense her true feelings.

Raven stood up swiftly, keeping her back turned to Robin. The folds of her cloak fell around her shoulders, hiding all of her body from view with the exception of her unadorned head. The beginnings of a ruby tint on her neck and face only served to solidify what they both already knew. A pencil, that had been laying behind her desk, glided softly through the air. Piercing the veil of her cloak, her hand held out as if to catch the utensil. The pencil never actually touched her hand, rather it floated a few inches above it, rotating, every single angle of it seen by her distratively attentive gaze.

"Rave..." The pencil was engulfed in a horrific ebony energy, pulverizing into millions of pieces before each and every shard dematerialized.

"I can't do this, Robin! We should be out there fighting!" She turned towards him, eyes ablaze with anger she did not understand. Even still, they remained clear of her dark ability's influence. "What are we doing here? Great darkness is about to be unleashed and we are sitting here talking." Her hands emerged from her cloak, clawed in frustration. Her mouth pursed forcefully in contained exigency.

"What is really bothering you?" Robin asked, sitting with his elbows propped against his knees. Raven's eyes widened at the gall of him. How dare he ask that. As if there could possibly be something else more important to deal with than Trigon. As if she had time to be worried about anything else.

"I am not some weak willed child, Robin." She spat his name like a curse in her own reserved way. Her weight shifted to her left leg and she crossed her arms, allowing the cloak to fall open.

"I know." Robin acknowledged, standing to meet her. "I also know that I can sense your thoughts; feel what you do." His arms came to rest at his sides as he stood two paces from her, her bitterness palpable.

"Do not ask me that again. Do not assume that I..." Raven's words hung up in her throat as her mind began to catch up with her mouth. Her defiant stance wavered. Her arms loosened, crossing once more before falling down to her sides as if forgotten. Her feet equally absorbed her rebalance weight. Amethyst eyes looked left to right, showing confusion.

"I know you feel lost." A stable voice spoke to her. "I know your world is shaken. Your biggest triumph was discovered to be unsuccessful." Raven did not discover or realise Robin was before her until he looked directly down into her eyes. "But, great light rises to meet great darkness." Raven's breath hitched before the anger returned. She looked defiantly back at him.

"You cannot understand the depth of m..." Robin reached out a hand, grazing his fingertips against her cheek. Raven did not resist but did not look away from him. "There is only darkness inside me. How could I be the light that meets th..." Her voice stopped, refusing to obey her. Robin cupped her cheek.

 _Why did he do that?_

"You are the greatest of both sides. Darkness and Light in unison. What cou..." Robin began before Raven stepped back. His confusion was plainly written on his features, his hand lowering slightly. Raven was saddened to see what looked like pain on his face but it was diminished by her own.

"I can't, Robin." She spoke, tilting her head minutely to the side, eyes slackening in defeat. Her voice was gently but torn, tainted with disappointment.

"You can't what, Raven?" He asked in turn, hand falling against his side. The material of his mask twitched ever so slightly, his eyes undoubtedly combing her features for any queue to her meaning. His shoulders slumped in a way only she could notice. Raven's anger, shame, hopelessness, mourning, and defeat all played across her face and in her mind one by one, a screaming testament to her inner turmoil.

 _I have to leave_

 _We have to find a way to defeat Trigon_

 _But I want to stay with..._

 _I am no light_

 _But Robin is so sure_

 _Hasn't he been right befo..._

 _No. Not this time_

 _He wants to get close to me. Why is that a bad thi..._

 _I cannot be distracted. Trigon will tak..._

 _We defeated Trigon before. We can do it aga.._

 _NO!_

 _I don't even know what I want_

 _I don't know if I deser..._

 _No. You don't_

 _Robin wouldn't say it unless he truly belie..._

 _You don't deserve him_

 _But I lov..._

 _Whatever you care about dies_

 _I can't let him get hurt_

 _I can't let anyone else get hurt again_

 _But he wants to help me..._

 _No he doesn't_

 _I want him to hel..._

 _We can do it togeth..._

A brief moment of clarity grasped her from the torrent of contridicting thoughts.

 _It is not only about Trigon_

 _Robin is right_

 _Why didn't I know that_

 _I did but..._

As her eyes came back into focus, Raven found her head downturned, fists balled at her sides under the protective covering of her cloak. Her reddened eyes found Robin's concealed ones. He still stood just as he had before. He had not moved.

"I... I am.." Raven stuttered, every course of speech that revealed itself was shot down immediately. "I don't... don't kno.. know what to do." She admitted, uncaring any longer if she appeared weak or not. Neither her mouth nor her brain served her any longer in this moment. Robin saw things in her. Things she did not will to be. For the first time, Robin's stance shifted to one of what seemed like impatience. Maybe disbelief? Maybe something else? She did not trust herself to accurately say what so she didn't try.

"Ok." He said. None of the usual negative connotation was behind the word. Simply put, Robin accepted what she said. In the first wrong move in the previous days, he spoke up again. "I think we can find a way to..." He never got to finish.

"I don't deserve your favor. Or your help." Raven said monotonously. Her magnificent purple irises fixed his face with an expression that held apology, embarrassment, and misery all in one.

 _Who am I to let him into my broken mind. My past. No one deserves that._

"It's a mistake to get close to me." With that final word, the floor underneath her was engulfed in black energy, pulling her down towards it. Robin moved to reach out for her, her name on his lips before she disappeared. She had no desire to let him stop her from leaving.

She rose up through the energy, coming to stand on the short beach of an even smaller island than the one the T-tower was built upon. This island was further out to sea which suite her just fine. There was a reason no one knew she came here. As if in response to her thought, her communicator began to vibrate, alerting her to an incoming call. Expecting to see Robin's contact, she was surprised to see it was Cyborg. His smiling face in the contact picture lifted her spirits for an instant before it crashed back down.

Raven sank to her knees, her cloak billowing out before closing around her once more. With hardly a thought, she tossed her communicator away onto the pristine sands of the tiny, undisturbed island carving channels in the grains before colliding with small, jutting stones from the ground. It clanked to a stop, mercifully facing away from her.

Would this ever end.

 **XXXXX**

A chuckle penetrated the almost palpable shroud between worlds.

"Hmm hmm hmm"

"You are mine."

 **/{XXXXX}\**

It's been a bit, guys. What can I say? Life is hard? Things are changing?

I won't try to give an excuse. I did, however, want to give you guys something. On that note, I feel this emotional stuff is necessary. Anyone who had been through emotional turmoil (everyone) knows that when your inner demons are challenged they always come up to fight. They don't allow you to be happy until you do not allow "them". I hate writing about seemingly moody things like this for Raven but again, it won't always be that way. Confronting the issue is harder than you might think for longer than you might think in the beginning.

Anyway, this is a little shorter but it'll get better when I eventually get the time to work on it. I'm trying to join the Air Force so the new experience is giving me more to worry about even in my free time. Makes it hard to write. I kinda feel like you almost need a clean slate to work with before writing. Going into it with a certain emotion taints the product.

Thanks guys. Again, I appreciate all of your continued support.


End file.
